I didn't see anything posted yet about this tragedy. The below came from the FL Times-Union Newspaper.

Track worker killed during Daytona race


The crew supervisor was struck by a paraplegic Dash Series driver while he was removing debris.


By DON COBLE
The Times-Union
DAYTONA BEACH -- A safety worker was struck and killed by a paraplegic driver going more than 100 mph during a race Sunday at the Daytona International Speedway.

Roy H. Weaver III, 44, became the 35th person to die at the speedway of injuries sustained during a race or testing session. He was the supervisor of the speedway's track crew.

The driver of the race car, Ray Paprota, 41, of Birmingham, Ala., doesn't have use of his legs. He used a series of knobs, levers and buttons to control his Pontiac during the IPower 150 for the newly formed Dash Series.

Paprota's car struck Weaver as the track worker removed debris from Turn 2 during a caution period, said Randy Claypool, executive vice president of the IPower Dash Series. The impact was so severe, it took medical crews nearly 90 minutes to clean up the track.

NASCAR sold the series for four-cylinder compact cars to a pair of Daytona Beach businessmen on Oct. 26. Sunday's start was the only race on Paprota's schedule this year.

"We made the decision to allow him to come to Daytona for winter testing,'' Claypool told the Associated Press. ''He attended a rookie meeting and went through extensive testing both on and off the track. We also asked other drivers ... and we felt very confident he was qualified to compete here.''

The IPower 150 was the second half of a racing doubleheader at Daytona that included pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 earlier in the afternoon.

Paprota's Pontiac failed to start before the race, and it took his team 17 laps to replace a faulty battery. During the repairs, a crash involving Bill Clevenger, Tony Billings and Danny Keaton put the race under caution for 10 laps while emergency crews cut Billings from his car.

Billings slammed into the disabled car of Clevenger, prompting a violent impact, followed by a brief fire. Billings was transported to Halifax Medical Center for observation and was alert when he left the speedway, track officials said.

As the cars circled the track under caution -- a time when the speeds are drastically reduced and racing isn't permitted -- Paprota finally entered the race. He sped off pit road and headed into Turns 1 and 2 while the rest of the field was in Turns 3 and 4. Weaver, a seven-year employee of the speedway, apparently didn't know Paprota was on the track because the other cars were at the other end of the 2.5-mile track.

Paprota left the track without commenting to reporters or series officials.

The race resumed after a 1-hour, 33-minute red-flag period while emergency crews, including the Volusia County Medical Examiner's office, worked the accident scene.

The race was shortened from 60 to 40 laps, and Danny Bagwell -- Paprota's teammate -- was the winner.

"We all knew something really bad happened," Bagwell said.

He questioned whether the race should have been resumed, especially because there was visual evidence of the accident at the scene.

"If you got some doubts, some concerns, yes it's hard," he said.

Paprota tried to break onto the ARCA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series a year ago, but he wasn't able to secure enough sponsorship. With the help of Bobby Allison, he made four appearances on what was then known as the NASCAR Dash Series.

Paprota, who was injured 20 years ago in a car accident, turned his attention to racing after a failed attempt to make the U.S. men's basketball team for the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta.

Paprota, who controls the throttle, brakes and clutch with his hands, passed all the necessary requirements last year to earn a NASCAR license, including the ability to make a quick escape from the car.

The Daytona Beach Police Department will conduct an investigation, Claypool said.