Michael Stefanik (May 20, 1958 – September 15, 2019)

(FoxNews) – NASCAR champion Michael Stefanik died Sunday in a
single-engine plane crash near the Rhode Island state line.

Connecticut state police said Stefanik took off in a single-engine,
single-seat Aerolite 103 from the Riconn Airport in Coventry, R.I.,
and was turning back to the airfield when it crashed in a wooded
area.

“Mike Stefanik was one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR
history, but even more so, he was a true representative of our sport,
” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “His
tough, competitive nature and excellence on the race track won him
the admiration of fans and competitors alike.”