Sprint car racer Greg Hodnett dies in racing accident

Veteran sprint car racer Greg Hodnett was killed in a racing accident on Thursday night at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania. Hodnett, 49, reportedly died instantly when his sprint car rolled into the wall of the 4/10th-mile dirt oval.

Hodnett became a star in the World of Outlaws sprint car series in the 1990s, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1993 and going on to score 20 victories in WoO competition. He won the opening night at the Knoxville Nationals this past August, beating NASCAR ace Kyle Larson, who offered the following tribute to Hodnett via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/KyleLarsonRacin/status/1042964270215049217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1042964270215049217%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fauto%2F2018%2F09%2F21%2Fpennsylvania-sprint-car-racer-greg-hodnett-killed-in-crash.html

World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter said in a statement, “To me, Greg represented the true gentleman competitor in the pit area.”

BAPS Motor Speedway has announced that all races scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the track have been canceled out of respect for Hodnett.