Richie Evans, 44, a Nine-Time NASCAR Modified Champion, Is Killed in Crash
Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR Modified division champion, died Thursday when his car slammed into a wall during a practice run at the Martinsville Speedway, a track official said.
Evans, 44, of Rome, N.Y., was practicing for Sunday’s Winn-Dixie 500 when his race car hit the wall between the third and fourth turns on the .526-mile track about 11 a.m. EDT, a spokesman said.
“We have no idea at all why. It was just a straight practice session, and the car just hit the wall. No other cars were near him,” the spokesman added.
It was the first fatality at the track since it opened in 1947.
Evans had been racing stock cars since 1962. He had already clinched the 1985 NASCAR Modified division championship, his eighth in a row and ninth overall. He had won more titles than any driver in any other form of NASCAR racing.
Evans leaves his wife, Lynn, their two children and four daughters from a previous marriage.
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