By alley - Oct 3, 2017, 3:01 PM ET

NASCAR mourns Robert Yates

The NASCAR community is mourning the loss of Robert Yates. The 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

passed away Monday at the age of 74

.

"Our sport lost one of the most inventive minds and kindest personalities in Robert Yates," Tony Stewart said in a statement. "I'm glad I got to know him and proud our race team

was able to honor him this year at Darlington

. He leaves a strong legacy that is carried on by his son, Doug, and all of their employees at Roush Yates Engines. While Robert will certainly be missed, he will always be remembered."

Added Richard Petty: “Robert dedicated his life to the sport and became one of the best at what he did. He is a Hall of Fame owner and engine builder.

“Later in my career, I was fortunate enough to race with his engines. He helped power me to my 200th win at Daytona, a moment that I’ll never forget. I’ll always remember Robert for his hard work, but more importantly, his friendship.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Carolyn, Doug, Amy and the rest of the family at this time.”

Messages poured in from those who knew Yates.

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I won't forget how happy Robert was on race day at darlington. This was right after I walked off stage from intros and I told him that we won best looking car for the throwback paint scheme weekend. He was a truly kind wonderful man. Honored to get to know him.A post shared by Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) on Oct 3, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

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