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Tony Stewart's teammate and sprint car racer Ashlea Albertson has passed away after suffering injuries in a road accident on Friday, August 18.
Stewart took to Twitter to post a heartfelt message about Albertson.
"Today, I lost a teammate," he wrote. "@AshDogRacing had an infectious personality and could light up any room. She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life. In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by controlling what we can control on the highway. Losing her is a sobering reminder of how precious life is. Please join me in keeping her family and friends in your prayers."
Ashlea Albertson and her fiance Jake Kelly were involved in a two-car accident around 11:30 a.m. just south of Seymour. Based on footage from another vehicle, it was revealed that a white GMC Terrain being driven by Albertson's fiance was being passed by a black Chevy Malibu driven by a 22-year-old man in the northbound right lane of the highway.
According to police reports, the collision happened as both cars were seen accelerating and refusing to let each other pass. The SUV lost control and spun out, causing the two vehicles to collide as the Terrain was about to change lanes.
Ashlea Albertson and Tony Stewart were often seen racing alongside each other. At the TQ All-Star Circuit of Champions TQ Victory feature race, which Stewart won, Albertson finished in sixth place.
She had no pulse when rescue personnel arrived on the scene so they were unable to perform CPR. Jake was transported to the hospital by helicopter with cuts and bruises.
Who was Sprint Car racer, Ashlea Albertson?
From a very young age, Albertson was interested in racing and could be seen racing around central Indiana. Todd Albertson, her father and crew chief, has claimed that Albertson never finished outside of the top 10 in her 11 years of racing.
Albertson fell in love with racing at the tender age of 10 and her dream was to become a professional racing driver. She wanted to promote women in the field of racing, which is mostly dominated by men.
She and her fiance, Jake, were due to tie the knot in March of next year.
