A veteran stock-car driver at a North Carolina race track died over the weekend after suffering a medical emergency while competing.
Fan favorite Robbie Brewer’s car struck a wall head-on at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem and came to a stop near the start-finish line, leaving fans fearing for the driver’s wellbeing.
Track workers were forced to peel away the roof to remove 53-year-old Brewer, and an ambulance rushed him to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital, after which he died, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
‘We are saddened by the passing of Robbie Brewer after he was transported to an area medical facility following an on-track medical incident,’ track officials said Sunday in a statement.
‘Robbie was a talented and passionate racer, and highly respected competitor among his peers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Robbie´s family and friends at this time.’
Details of the medical emergency weren’t released.
Track crew members rip the roof off of Robbie Brewer’s car to remove him on Saturday night
Brewer’s car skids down the front stretch after a wreck on the restart of the race
His fiancee Angel McCarter shared a heartbreaking tribute on social media in which she revealed the pair had just returned from vacation, where they made ‘so many sweet memories’ and celebrated her child’s second birthday.
She also claimed Brewer was ‘eager’ to get back on track after the break and felt his first practice ‘went great’, leading to him skipping the second.
‘I will never forget that long walk down the halls at Baptist Hospital — that moment is forever etched in my soul. Robbie left this world in a way so fitting for the man he was — doing what he loved most.’
Brewer and his fiancee were due to marry later this month, having recently obtained their marriage license on July 26.
‘Robbie Brewer, I love you to the moon and back… and all around the race track,’ McCarter added in her statement.
Crew work to remove the Sportsman Series driver from his car after the medical emergency
Brewer’s fiancee shared a series of photos of the stock car racer following his shock death
Brewer was competing in a 20-lap Sportsman Series race at Bowman Gray, where thousands of racing fans turn out weekly on Saturday nights in the spring and summer for races across four divisions. Bowman Gray also was the locale for this year’s preseason NASCAR Cup Series exhibition event in early February.
Brewer’s first career start at the oval came in 1990, and he made nearly 260 starts in the Sportsman Division, winning the points championship in 2011, the newspaper reported.
Fellow Bowman Gray driver Brad Lewis, whose race shop is near where Brewer lived, said Brewer ‘was like a big brother to me even though we were not that far apart in age.’
‘He was a wheelman through and through,’ Lewis said. ‘I´m not only going to honor him the rest of the season but for as long as we race out there. He´ll be missed.’
