Driver dies after serious crash at speedway racing event: ‘He was doing something that he loved’

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (WMC/Gray News) - A dirt-track racer in Arkansas has died after crashing during a racing event Saturday night at the Riverside International Speedway.

The speedway’s owner, Clayton Allen, announced that driver Scott Frazier, 58, was rushed to the hospital following a serious crash at the “King of the Ditch” race event, but he didn’t survive his injuries.

“He was doing something that he loved; he was doing something that he cherished and did every day, every night,” Allen shared in a video statement.

Friends, fellow racers and animal advocates are remembering Frazier as a fierce racing competitor whose heart for animals also leaves a powerful legacy.

Loved ones said Frazier spent decades pouring his heart into the high-speed thrill of dirt-track racing while also dedicating 15 years to volunteering at the Tunica Humane Society.

“Scott was just magical with dogs ... he had a deep, deep love,” Tunica Humane Society founder and director Sandy Williams said. “He could calm the shyest, most frightened dog, and he would always attend our adoption events.”

After Saturday night’s crash, fellow racers and fans rallied around Frazier and his family.

Allen said a racing helmet was passed around the stands, and it raised $2,920 to help Frazier’s family.

Allen made the decision to cancel the remainder of Saturday night’s races.

“This is a very dangerous sport, as we now know. I couldn’t ask them to go back out there and perform and put on a show with a clean conscience and put them in harm’s way, possibly for them not having a clean head,” he said.

Visitation for Scott Frazier will be held Friday at the Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park–East, with funeral services beginning at 2 p.m.