NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen announces the tragic death of ‘brother and teammate’ Jon Gurley

NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen shared the tragic news of the death of his Halmar Friesen Racing team member Jon Gurley. Gurley worked as a Fabricator for the #52 Toyota team.

Jon Gurley passed away on Saturday, May 13, following an accident on ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) vehicle in Hanover County, Virginia. Stewart Friesen shared the news on Tuesday (May 16) with a message paying tribute to their fallen team member.

He wrote:

"With extremely heavy hearts we announce the loss of our brother and teammate Jon Gurley. Jon was a true warrior here at HFR he leaves a huge void in our team."

Friesen called Gurley a true warrior who has left a huge void in his team. He declared that HFR will race in honor of Gurley for the rest of the season.

The message further read:

"We will march on and keep fighting as that is what he would want us to do, and we will do so in his honor. We dedicate the remainder of this season to Jon and we are going to give it everything we’ve got for Jon and his family."

Jon Gurley was involved in a fatal ATV accident while driving the vehicle on Saturday, May 13. According to a report from WRIC.com, the deputies from Hanover County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident around 11:00 pm ET.

Gurley was transported to the nearby VCU Medical Center and was pronounced dead by the doctors. The Sheriffs are currently investigating the death of the 40-year-old to determine the cause of the accident.

Stewart Friesen currently sits 10th in the NASCAR Truck Series drivers' standings. He will be looking to honor his fallen 'brother and teammate' this weekend by winning the Tyson 250 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

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NASCAR issues penalties to two teams after the Darlington Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400

NASCAR issued penalties to Tyler Reddick's #45 23XI Racing team after the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. The team was penalized for violating Section 14.11.2.1 A of the Cup rulebook for adding extra ballast to the car. The governing body penalized the #45 team with 10 driver and owner points.

The #45 team had failed the pre-race inspection following which its crew chief Billy Scott was ejected from the track. There have been no suspensions or fines issued to the team.

Reddick took home a 22nd-place finish from Darlington and currently occupies 10th place in the drivers' standings after the deductions. He has already qualified for the playoffs after securing the race win at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Erik Jones' #43 Legacy Motor Club team was also penalized post-race as the right rear wheel was loosely fitted on his car. The wheel came loose on a restart and caused a multi-car pileup.

Crew members Nate McBride and Adam Riley have been suspended from the next two races.