Veteran Ohio sprint car racer Justin Owen passed away on Saturday as a result of injuries he received in a huge collision at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, during the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship race. The racer from Harrison, Ohio, drifted high into Turn 3 during his qualifying run for the competition, lost control, and slammed into the wall.
After many flips, his car eventually soared airborne and came to rest in the center of the circuit. After the incident happened just before 6:30 p.m., USAC quickly red-flagged the race, and 30 minutes later, the series declared the event to be canceled. Soon after midnight, they made the announcement of Owen’s passing.
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At Lawrenceburg Raceway, Owen came into this weekend’s competition as the current track champion after winning two features and the championship in 2022. After competing in the sprint car class for many years at the 3/8-mile circuit, the triumph was the 10-year sprint car veteran’s first championship there. About 20 minutes to the north of the track, Owen was raised.
Ended up 7th tonight banging the boards, had a lot of fun and appreciated the opportunity.
Post race I learned about the passing of Justin Owen, raced against Justin quite a bit in sprint cars. Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. pic.twitter.com/losYQ36rU0
— Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe_14) April 9, 2023
According to a USAC press release, among Owen’s biggest on-track accomplishments was winning the Dick Gaines Memorial at the end of last season, when he won the Lawrenceburg title. He achieved three victories in 2019: at the Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania, the Paragon Speedway in Indiana, and the Night of Champions competition in Lawrenceburg.
Moreover, he gained a victory in 2016 at Lernerville with BOSS. In 2019 and 2021, Owen has already had two feature starts with USAC, both at Lawrenceburg. Upon the announcement of Owen’s passing, there was an outpouring of support, and NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe, who is from southern Indiana and grew up two hours away from the Lawrenceburg track, mentioned that he had competed against Owen “quite a bit” in sprint cars.
Briscoe tweeted, “Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. The renowned NASCAR and sprint car driver’s company, Tony Stewart Racing, tweeted the following: “It’s never pleasant to be reminded of how rapidly things can change in this sport or that tomorrow is not guaranteed. We will continue to pray for Justin Owen’s family, friends, and supporters. We deeply regret your loss.”
