Who is Jason Leffler and how did the late NASCAR driver die?

Jason Leffler was a professional racing driver in the open-wheel and stock-car racing categories. Leffler, nicknamed "LEFturn," drove in NASCAR's top categories from 1999 until he died in a racing accident in 2013.

On June 12, 2013, Jason Leffler was involved in a crash in the final laps of the 410 Sprint Car Heat Race at the 0.625-mile oval at Bridgeport Speedway, New Jersey. A front suspension failure caused Leffler's car to crash into a wall and flip several times.

The impact left the driver unconscious, and he was taken to the Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was pronounced dead, aged 37, at 9:00 PM ET, 30 minutes after his accident. After the crash, the race was canceled, and the victory lane celebrations did not take place.

An autopsy later revealed that a severe blunt force-induced neck and spine injury was the cause of death. Leffler's neck sustained a huge impact despite wearing a Simpson Hybrid head and neck restraint system, which was approved by NASCAR.

Three days before his death, Leffler made his final Cup Series start driving Humphrey Smith Racing's #19 Toyota at Pocono Raceway. The race also marked his only cup start of the season, where he started and parked his car, finishing 43rd in the event.

After his death, several drivers and associations like NASCAR and IndyCar made statements expressing their condolences. In the following Cup race, Denny Hamlin, who replaced Leffler at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, ran a tribute livery on his #11 FedEx Toyota.

In the 2023 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway, Cole Custer paid tribute to the late NASCAR driver by running his paint scheme in the Xfinity race.

Custer took home a top-five finish, driving the livery Leffler used during his tenure at Haas CNC Racing in the 2004 Cup Series season. The team later evolved into its current form as Stewart Haas Racing.

---

Exploring Jason Leffler's stats in NASCAR

Jason Leffler

Jason Leffler's racing career took off in the midget cars in the USAC series, winning three consecutive championships between 1997 and 1999. He then made three starts in IndyCar, including the 2000 Indy 500, where he finished 17th.

Leffler made his full-time Busch Series debut in 2000 for Joe Gibbs Racing. The following year, he made his Cup Series debut for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He made several starts for Haas CNC Racing before rejoining JGR to drive the #11 Toyota in 2005. Denny Hamlin replaced him the following year, as Leffler failed to make an impression in his 19 starts.

The Long Beach, California, native has two Xfinity wins and one Truck Series win to his name. He also holds the honor of recording the first win in a Toyota Camry in the 2007 Busch Series. The win also marked the foreign manufacturer's first win in NASCAR's top series.

Leffler was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003 and the USAC Hall of Fame in 2018.