Veteran Ohio sprint car racer Justin Owen died on Saturday as a result of injuries sustained in a massive accident during the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship race at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. During his qualifying pass for the competition, the driver from Harrison, Ohio drifted high into Turn 3, lost control, and crashed into the wall.
After numerous flips, his vehicle ultimately soared into the air and landed in the circuit’s centre. After the incident occurred just before 6:30 p.m., USAC immediately halted the race, and thirty minutes later, the series cancelled the event. It was announced shortly after midnight that Owen had passed away.
Owen entered this weekend’s competition as the current track champion at Lawrenceburg Raceway, having won two features and the championship in 2022. The victory marked the 10-year sprint car veteran’s first championship at the 3/8-mile track, where he had competed for many years. Owen was raised about twenty minutes to the north of the track.
According to a USAC press release, one of Owen’s greatest achievements on the track was winning the Dick Gaines Memorial at the conclusion of last season, when he also won the Lawrenceburg championship. In 2019, he won at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania, Paragon Speedway in Indiana, and Night of Champions in Lawrenceburg.
Additionally, he won in 2016 at Lernerville with BOSS. Owen has already made two USAC feature appearances at Lawrenceburg in 2019 and 2021. Owen’s death was met with an outpouring of condolences, and NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe, who is from southern Indiana and grew up two hours from the Lawrenceburg track, stated that he had competed against Owen “quite a bit” in sprint cars.
“Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” Briscoe tweeted. Tony Stewart Racing, the company of the renowned NASCAR and sprint car driver, tweeted: “It’s never pleasant to be reminded of how quickly things can change in this sport or that tomorrow is not guaranteed. We will continue to pray for the family, friends, and supporters of Justin Owen. We are profoundly sorry for your loss.”
