Racing Driver Dies Defending Championship
- Share via
LANCASTER, N.Y. — An accident during a race at Lancaster National Speedway claimed the life of the track’s defending champion.
Tom Druer, 38, of Akron was vying for the lead in lap 10 of a Modified 40-lap feature event Sunday at about 10 p.m. when his car touched wheels with a car driven by Bill Carey of Sloan. Both cars spun backward and slammed into a retaining wall.
Carey walked away from his car, but Druer had to be freed using emergency cutting tools. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. of multiple injuries.
“Both drivers were charging for the lead,” said Peter Trautman, the track’s racing director. “There was no rough riding involved. It was a racing accident and not Carey’s fault.”
Modifieds average more than 100 m.p.h. Druer was was a 17-year racing veteran.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
