One of America’s premier racing series that was scheduled to be at Jacksonville Speedway Wednesday night is announcing that the event will now be postponed.
According to officials with Jacksonville Speedway, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series event scheduled for this Wednesday has been postponed due to the sudden and tragic death of one of World of Outlaw drivers.
Forty-one year old Jason Johnson, a familiar name and regular driver to fans of the widely-popular World of Outlaws Series, lost his life in a tragic accident over the weekend. The accident that claimed Johnson’s life took place at a World of Outlaws sanctioned event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin this past Saturday night. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the crash occurred during the 18th lap of a race Saturday night, when Johnson’s sprint car reportedly lost control around turn three, flipped and crashed through several billboards. Johnson was subsequently pronounced dead the following morning.
Jacksonville Speedway promoter Ken Dobson said in a statement, “Jason was one of the greatest sprint car drivers in the world and a former Knoxville Nationals Champion. We were fortunate to have had Jason race here at Jacksonville on some occasions in the past. Postponing out event scheduled for this Wednesday allows time for the racing community to grieve and for friends and family to celebrate Jason’s life. His passing reminds us of the dangers all of our racers face while doing what they enjoy and reinforces the need for driver safety and fan safety to be our paramount concern.”
This Wednesday’s World of Outlaws event has been rescheduled for October 12th. All tickets will be honored on the rescheduled date in October. Jacksonville Speedway will return to action for its usual Friday race on the 27th with its Friday Night Fury show, featuring six classes of racing action. Any questions regarding tickets for the postponed World of Outlaws event can be directed to Dobson by calling 217-371-3653.