On June 5, former NASCAR racer and current FOX commentator Clint Bowyer struck and killed a pedestrian in a fatal crash as he was leaving World Wide Technology Raceway after the conclusion of a NASCAR Cup Series race, Fox4 reports. Incident reports show Bowyer was sober at the time of the crash, but the pedestrian walking along the side of a highway ramp may not have been.
Fox4 reporter Brian Dulle offers more detail about the incident:
The crash was reported just before 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, near U.S. 54 and Missouri Highway 242 near Osage Beach, Missouri.
According to a crash report from the Lake Ozark Police Department, Bowyer was driving westbound on U.S. 54 and was approaching Missouri 242 when he struck a woman walking on the ramp.
Dulles goes on to note that Bowyer immediately stopped and called the police to report the incident. The victim was 47-year-old Mary Jane Simmons, of Camdenton, Missouri, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the moment, authorities do not appear to be holding Bowyer at fault for the crash. Onsite alcohol testing showed that Bowyer was sober and showed no other signs of visible impairment.
Police also found a “crystalline substance” among Simmons’ belongings; while they believe it may be methamphetamine, police have not confirmed this in a report. There is no indication that Simmons was under the influence of drugs at the time of her death, but police have reported it as a potential factor leading to her walking along the side of the highway.
Clint Bowyer Racing released a statement on Thursday night that read, “Anyone that knows me, knows that family is everything to me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Ms. Simmons. This is a very difficult time for my family and I, please respect our privacy as we move forward.”
Bowyer was absent from the FOX commentary booth during last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma. It is now clear that this is the “personal matter” he was attending to. Bowyer will not appear in the booth for the rest of the season, as NASCAR makes its mid-season swap from FOX to NBC as a broadcasting partner.