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Devil’s Bowl Speedway Official Statement on the Loss of Driver Ron Casey

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway management is saddened to confirm the loss of one of its stock car racing family members, driver Ron Casey.

Mr. Casey, 61, of Manchester Center, Vt., was competing in a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sportsman Modified race on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on the evening of Sunday, July 3, 2016 when he was stricken with what appeared to be a medical emergency that led to a crash.

With nine of 35 laps complete at approximately 9:15 p.m., Mr. Casey’s racecar suddenly veered off course through the infield at a high rate of speed and traveled through the infield grass before making a hard impact with a retaining wall in Turn 2 and coming to rest. No other people or vehicles were involved in the incident.

Mr. Casey was quickly and carefully tended to by track safety workers and the Fair Haven Rescue medical team who were on site and at the scene within 60 seconds. He was extricated from the car and transported by ambulance to Rutland Regional Medical Center in Rutland, Vt., where he was officially pronounced deceased at 12:12 a.m. on Monday, July 4.

Mr. Casey used proper safety equipment including an approved helmet, head-and-neck restraint system, aluminum racing seat, and certified restraining belts, all of which were in good condition and met current safety specifications. The car was inspected following the crash and was deemed to be mechanically and structurally fit for competition. Mr. Casey’s official cause of death has not yet been determined, though it is believed to have been due to a medical problem just prior to the accident.

Ron Casey was the epitome of the old-school, hard-working Vermonter, and was an impeccable ambassador for grassroots auto racing. His warm, friendly demeanor was a welcome addition to every track at which he competed during his long career. Racing on a shoestring budget, his priority was fun over success and his passion, enthusiasm, and dedication for the sport were obvious. Mr. Casey was the first driver to register to compete when dirt track racing returned to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in September 2014, he was the first driver to arrive at the track’s official car show in Downtown Rutland on a rainy 35-degree morning in May 2016, and he was the first driver in line to enter the pit area on the night that he passed away – just as he was at virtually every race.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway thanks Fair Haven Rescue and the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Safety Team for their swift care and professionalism. Devil’s Bowl Speedway also thanks its passionate, dedicated, and caring fan base for its outpouring of support following the incident, and requests that the same continues to be extended to Ron Casey’s family members and many friends and supporters.

Race in peace, Ron Casey. You were a true gentleman and much-loved member of the local auto racing family who will be greatly missed.

Photos by Mark Brown/Kustom Keepsakes (top) and Devil's Bowl Speedway (bottom)

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