Shawn Balluzzo Death – The officials at the Virginia short track has reported the death of a man identified as 64-year-old Shawn Balluzzo, who was involved in a crash during a race at Langley Speedway. His demise took place on Saturday night, July 11, 2020.
According to the speedway in a release on Sunday, “Driver Shawn Balluzo died after a crash during the second of two Modified Division races.
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Balluzo was also reported to be the driver with the highest wins in the history of the track, says Virginian-Pilot.
The statement continues: “He won the hearts of our fans with 11 track championships and a driving style that made him one of the most respected competitors we’ve ever known.”
According to the newspaper report, Balluzo’s demise was the first at the track in a racing-related accident since 2004.
In 2019, Balluzo won 16 of 17 division races.
He finished second in the first of Saturday’s twin 50-lap races, which were the season openers for the Modifiers, and sent congratulatory message to the winner Matt Carter on Facebook: “Big congrats to Matt Carter on his win!” he said.
Report says, during the second race, Balluzzo’s car went airborne after colliding with another car and crashed front-first into a wall.
One of the racers, Driver Mark Wertz said: “I saw him impact the wall head-on and you know that’s never a good hit. You don’t think it’s as bad as it was, but it was kind of surreal.”
Balluzo was pulled out from his vehicle after cutting the roof off by the emergency unit.
He was later taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The modified division race was reduced to 30 laps, and Carter still won.
According to Carter: “Shawn’s great, he was a legend out here. He’s dominated this series for many years.
“It’s always been my goal to beat him because he’s been the ‘Modified Man’ out here. It was a great night (for me) and it turned into a tragedy.”