Photos for Headline Surfer / Former NASCAR driver Jason Leffler died from injuries suffered when his Sprint car slammed into the wall of a dirt raceway on June13, 2013, in New Jersey, state police said.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline SurferDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Running second with a few laps left on June 12, 2013, Jason Leffler was involved in a crash during a sprint car heat race at the 5⁄8-mile Bridgeport Speedway in Logan Township, NJ, resulting in his his car suffering a front suspension failure that caused it to crash into a wall and flip over repeatedly.
Leffler, 37, instantly lost consciousness in the accident and when track offcials learned he was not breathing, the race was stop and then cancelled altogether. Lefler was airlifted to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, Pa, where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m., 30 minutes after the wreck.
An autopsy report stated Lefler's cause of death was due to severe blunt neck trauma and backbone injuries.
Jason Lefler had competed in IndyCar and NASCAR racing series and was recognized and honored after his passing by drivers in both open wheel and stock car racing leagues. NASCAR drivers competing in the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 had special stickers placed on their cars in honor of Leffler.
Denny Hamlin, who replaced Leffler in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in late 2005, had his car repainted to resemble Leffler's former paint scheme.
NASCAR issued a statement on Jason Leffler's death that was carried by news organizations that night and the following day,
Jason Lefler had competed in IndyCar and NASCAR racing series and was recognized and honored after his passing by drivers in both open wheel and stock car racing leagues.
NASCAR drivers competing in the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 had special stickers placed on their cars in honor of Leffler. Denny Hamlin, who replaced Leffler in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in late 2005, had his car repainted to resemble Leffler's former paint scheme.
Motorsports fans are drawn to racing for different reasons: The excitement of speed, skill of drafting & passing; strategies on when to pit for fuel, tires or repairs; the will to win and so forth. Ultimately, though, it's the big crashes like the one here at left from Daytona that fans seem to like more than anything. And though nobody wishes serious injury or death to drivers, crew members, emergency personnel & especially spectators, the sad reality is carnage is always lurking. Despite the latest technology & improvements in aerodynamics of vehicles, driver equipment and enhanced track safety features, the fine line between life & death is always at play in any given sanctioned motorsport. Given that Headline Surfer® puts such an emphasis on racing with Daytona Beach International Speedway, the 24/7 internet news outlet is counting down its listing of the top 1,000 Worst of the Worst motorsports crashes. While on the surface it may come across as gratuitous gore to critics, there can never be enough discussion about the need for constant vigilance in looking at safety improvements.
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.