Sprint car driver Justin Owen of Harrison, Ohio, died from injuries he suffered when his car crashed during a race in southeastern Indiana, the U.S. Auto Club announced.
Owen’s car struck the outside wall and flipped several times along the third turn in a qualifying race Saturday night for the AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship at Lawrenceburg Speedway, USAC said.
USAC canceled the remainder of the event after the crash.
The 26-year-old Owen was the reigning track champion at Lawrenceburg Speedway with two feature wins and the title in 2022, USAC said.
It was Owen’s first title at the 3/8-mile dirt oval where he competed in the sprint car division for the past several seasons.
Among his top achievements were a victory in the season-closing Dick Gaines Memorial during his Lawrenceburg championship season in 2022, USAC said.
Owen, who was 26, raced sprint cars. Mike Stone/Getty ImagesIn 2019, Owen had three victories, at the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway, his second victory in the event after one in 2016; at Indiana’s Paragon Speedway; and at Lawrenceburg’s Night of Champions event.
With USAC, Owen made two feature starts, both at Lawrenceburg, in 2019 and 2021.



