Veteran stock car driver Robbie Brewer has died after suffering a medical emergency during a race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday. The 53-year-old was competing in a 20-lap Sportsman Series race when his car struck a wall head-on on the quarter-mile oval track and came to a stop near the start-finish line.
Track workers removed the roof of Brewer's car to extract him, and he was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital, where he later died, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. Track officials confirmed the news in a statement on Sunday, expressing their sadness and describing Brewer as a “talented and passionate racer” and a “highly respected competitor”. The specific details of the medical emergency have not been released.
Bowman Gray Stadium is a popular venue that draws thousands of fans weekly for races across four divisions. Brewer made his debut at the oval in 1990 and amassed nearly 260 starts in the Sportsman Division, winning the points championship in 2011.
Fellow driver Brad Lewis paid tribute to Brewer, calling him “like a big brother” and “a wheelman through and through”. Lewis said he would honour Brewer for the rest of the season and “for as long as we race out there”.
