By alley - Aug 18, 2014, 1:18 PM ET

Driver killed at short track race school

ABOVE: Amanda Gambacorto (photo courtesy Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority – Zeta Lota Chapter via Facebook)

In a poignant follow-up to

Sunday's report on the number of deaths at American short tracks by the Charlotte Observer,

young novice driver Amanda Gambacorto was killed in a crash at Wall Stadium Speedway in Wall Township, N.J., on Saturday afternoon.

According the New Jersey State Police report of the incident, Gambacorto was taking part in the Green Flag Driving Experience at the short track, which offers instruction to beginner racers in either three-quarter midgets – which, with 600cc motorcycle-based engines, are less powerful than larger midgets – in Legends cars or full-sized modifieds. TV station

New Jersey News 12

reports that Gambacorto, a college student at State University of New York at Stony Brook, lost control of her three-quarter midget and struck the wall, suffering severe head trauma. Gambacorto was transported to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The Green Flag Driving Experience says that it supplies firesuits and helmets to its students, but the company website does not mention head and neck restraints. The Charlotte Observer cited the absence of mandatory use of safety systems like head and neck restraints as one of the reasons behind the high number of deaths at U.S. short tracks it noted in its report.

Gambacorto was a marketing intern for the Department of Athletics at Stony Brook, as well as a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and a communications assistant with the "Advancement Department" at Stony Brook, according to her LinkedIn page.

Alpha Sigma Alpha posted this statement on its Facebook page and Instagram about Gambacorto:

"For those who didn't know Amanda that well, she was a fiery spirit who would try anything once. Her smile and passion for the world was contagious. Amanda was a friend, a teacher, a sister, a role model. She touched not only the lives of all of our sisters, but anyone she encountered. Although Amanda might not know it, she has changed the world for the better and left a lasting impression, especially on us. We love you Amanda and you'll never be forgotten."

Sarah Elsesser, a sorority sister of Gambacorto and staff writer for The Stony Brook Statesman said via e-mail to that newspaper that Gambacorto was a “bright person who touched the hearts of many.”

“Amanda was very influential in my sisterhood in Alpha Sigma Alpha and in many others,” said Elsesser. “She was a happy-go-lucky person with a contagious personality and smile. I think my sisters would agree that we have a strong chapter and in the face of a tragedy like this one, it will only bring us closer.”