60-year-old crashes, dies at DIS in RPDE car

[Sprint]

Sad story.........I guess if you gotta it might as well be while having the time of your life




A 60-year-old Apopka man died after he crashed while driving a Richard Petty Driving Experience car at the Daytona Beach International Speedway, authorities and family members said today. Robert Boswell was taking part in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, a program where fans pay to get behind the wheel of a NASCAR car, said his son, Greg Boswell. The crash occurred about 5 p.m. Sunday, police said. Robert Boswell was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center where he was declared dead at about 7 p.m. An autopsy report released this afternoon showed he died of a heart attack and not from the crash. Chris McKee, director of media relations for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, said Boswell had completed lap three at 125 mph when he slowed to take Turn 1. He began to drive erratically around turn one, jerking at the wheel, said an instructor who was driving ahead of Boswell. He then slumped over and steered the car into the concrete retaining wall on the inside of Turn 2, McKee said. Speedway officials said this was the first Richard Petty Driving Experience death at Daytona. However, McKee said this is the third death of a driver among all participating tracks. The two earlier deaths were later determined to be the result of medical conditions and not mechanical failure, McKee said

[Rakeman]

This is a sad story. I have a similar one................

A dear friend of mine, and racing buddy, was given the Petty Experience at Texas as a Christmas gift from his wife. About 2 weeks after they returned home from their trip (BTW - he told me it was the thrill of his lifetime!) he died of a massive heart attack at age 59. At his funeral, they had a blown up picture of him climbing out of the car at Texas that all his friends signed. Very sad, but we were all glad he had been given that opportunity.