Steve King, World of Outlaws Champ, Dies of Injuries (1 Viewer)

[ProStockJunkie]

King Dies from Injuries

King was the 2002 and 2003 NCRA 360 Division champion.

Steve King, who was injured Wednesday night in a crash during the opening
night of the 46th annual Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway, passed
away from those injuries Thursday afternoon.

The tragedy became complicated when Knoxville race director Ralph Capitani
announced earlier Thursday morning that King died from the injuries he
suffered in the accident, only to retract the statement hours later.

At the time Capitani said he was given inaccurate information from a pit
crew member that King passed away at 9:38 a.m. Thursday morning.

However King remained in critical condition at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines until
3:32 p.m., when according to King's website he did indeed pass away.

The incident happened when King crashed hard in Turn 3 in the closing laps.
The red flag was then displayed so medical personnel could attend to King.

King, who suffered brain injuries in the incident, was initially sent to a
local hospital before being airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines,
Iowa.

Capitani said that Thursday night's program at Knoxville would go on as
planned with a pre-race moment of silence and prayer for King and his family

 

[Kelly]

My goodness.....it sounds like there was alot of miscommunication.

His family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Joker]

Thats sad. For a minute, I thought it was Steve Kinser, King of the Outlaws. I am a big fan of his, and I was in shock. Its not been a good week for motorsports with Rocky Keyes and now this.

 

[Sully]

King was the first fatality at the Knoxville Nationals since 1967 and the announcement of his death put a pretty good damper on things Thursday night.

The headline on the article is misleading - as noted in the story, King had a lot of success in 360 sprints, but only ran occasionally in 410 sprints and was not a regular World of Outlaws driver. He was well known and well-liked among the Knoxville racers and fans, where the 360 and 410 sprints run (separately) on a weekly basis. He competed in the 360 Nationals at Knoxville the weekend before his death.

The accident happened in turn three - as he entered the turn, the car suddenly turned to the right, hitting the wall with the left front, then the left side of the car. Parts failure is suspected. As with some drag racing fatalities, the accident was violent, but not markedly different from similar accidents, including a "walkaway" accident by another driver (Lance Dewease) earlier in the evening Wednesday.

He will be missed and remembered. If you want to find out more about a likeable young man who left us too early, you can visit his website at

Steve King's Website

 

[vegasnitro]

First Paul Dana (IRL season opener at Homestead) and now Steve King ... seems having a sponsorship from Ethanol coul be a jinx. Godspeed Mr. King.