A veteran Sprint Car driver has died from injuries suffered during a qualifying race at Lincoln Speedway in central Pennsylvania.
The York County Coroner's Office says 63-year-old Kramer Williamson was pronounced dead at York Hospital around 1:15 p.m. Sunday. He had suffered serious injuries during a crash that happened during the United Racing Company 358/360 Sprint Car Challenge at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night.
Investigators said Williamson's pink No. 73 car was on the fourth lap of a 10-lap qualifying round when it climbed onto another car and crashed into a retaining wall on the second turn, climbing the fence before returning to the track and flipping over several times. He was extricated from the car and flown to the hospital, where he underwent surgery.
United Racing Company co-owner John Zimmerman said the team is mourning the loss of a popular and accomplished driver.
"URC lost the most popular driver and accomplished driver in our storied history," Zimmerman said in a statement. "We are so saddened by the loss of an unforgettable member of our URC Family."
Zimmerman's wife Cher, also a URC co-owner, remembered Williamson for bringing joy to fans.
"Kramer was the sweetest and funniest driver I have ever known in racing. He made racing a family affair and simply adored his wife and children. I know the national racing community will join us in remembering Kramer and sending prayers to his family at this very difficult moment."
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Officials say Williamson was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2008 and had been racing for more than 40 years. He shared the 1971 rookie of the year title at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg.
The last driver fatality at Lincoln was in 1975.
Williamson’s death comes a couple months after NASCAR driver Jason Leffler died during a dirt car event at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J.
About two weeks before Leffler's death, Josh Burton died of injuries sustained in a crash at Bloomington Speedway in Indiana. In late May, at a dirt track in Nevada, two drivers were killed in a race. And in March in California, two people were killed when a car careened off a dirt track and crashed on pit road.
