Sprint car driver James “Jim” Campbell Jr. of Feastervile, Pa., lost his life Friday night after hitting a guardrail in the third corner of Williams Grove Speedway. Campbell was participating in a warm-up session when the crash occurred.
Witnesses told Yahoo! Sports that Campbell was involved in a multi-car crash. Fox 43 reports that Campbell’s sprint car hit the guardrail, flipped and then caught fire.
Eyewitness Cassie Reese described the incident to PennLive:
The track was hosting a “Kids’ Night” promotion on Friday.
According to PennLive, the crash occurred around 7:30 p.m. Friday. Campbell was unresponsive when responders reached his car and pronounced dead at the scene.
“The staff and management of Williams Grove Speedway express and extend sincere sympathy to the Campbell family at this difficult time,” reads a statement on the track’s web site. The track has also cancelled today’s Saturday Series races both out of respect for the Campbell family as well as to allow their staff to grieve and cope.
Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile banked clay oval located in Monroe Township, about 115 miles west of Philadelphia in central Pennsylvania. PennLive reports that Campbell is the first fatality at the speedway since 2007, when racer Billy Kimmel crashed during a 25-lap feature race.
Our thoughts are with Campbell’s friends, family and the entire local racing community at this time.
Photo credit: Williams Grove Speedway
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