Greg Hodnett

[golddirt]

Passed away following a crash in Pennsylvania tonight. RIP

[Illtsate32]

RIP. Been a bad year for the Outlaw sprints. What track were they at? High speed track?

[Krooser]

Wow... great racer for years. Always liked to see him in WoO sprints. RIP.

[golddirt]

Baps ........

[HoosierDirtFan]

http://i63.tinypic.com/6f5lzt.jpg

[HoosierDirtFan]

RIP. Been a bad year for the Outlaw sprints. What track were they at? High speed track?

BAPS Motor Speedway in Pennsylvania.

[dirtMAN007]

Baps ........

Formerly Susquehanna speedway .

[Mud Packer]

Sad deal indeed. RIP Greg.

[Dlmfan123]

“Wishing my father in heaven a Happy Birthday. Sure do miss him.” This was his last tweet. I’m sure he was there to welcome him at the gate. RIP

[HoosierDirtFan]

http://i68.tinypic.com/2m6u32o

[HoosierDirtFan]

http://i63.tinypic.com/351waqv.jpg

[dirt junkie]

I know that racing is a dangerous sport as does anyone involved but those dam push and flips have gotta be the worst
R.I.P. and condolences to all affected by this

[HoosierDirtFan]

http://i66.tinypic.com/abteab.jpg

[HoosierDirtFan]

http://i64.tinypic.com/vz7exg.jpg

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

Rip prayers to family

[MI Dirt Fan]

RIP. Been a bad year for the Outlaw sprints. What track were they at? High speed track?

Wasn't a WoO event.

[MI Dirt Fan]

He won night 1 of the Knoxville Nationals last month.

[AllenK]

RIP. Thoughts and prayers to Greg's family and friends. I so hate to hear of this happening again!! I first remember watching Greg in the SLick 50 series at Manzanita,and even got to see him race a time or two before he went North. Just awful.

[buster83]

Seen Greg in two other bad crashes was very happy to see him get out of them R.I.P. Greg.

[BadlandsBandit12]

This stuff makes me sick to my stomach, how many more deaths do we need to see in sprint car racing??? I have always thought sprint cars are the most dangerous kind of racing. I am not sure how they can get them safer. All i can say is these sprint car guys should seriously move on to another race car with full bodies. RIP Greg

[kazual]

Class guy, RIP Greg

[MI Dirt Fan]

I hate to speculate but I've read a few reports that he hit an opening in the wall and one report said something may had broke in the steering before hand.

[Illtsate32]

Seen Gordy Gundaker make a comment about safety, and not talking about the race cars, so im assuming something at the track wasnt up to par...

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Greg was always one of my favorite racers, period. He had an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee, was from the Memphis area.

First really starting watching him when he was in the Apple Chevrolet car. Cannot remember what car he was in before that. He was at the Sharon Nationals and they told him he was close last year or on night one of two and he said, “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

RIP man, when I watched sprints, you were one of the ones I really liked, hopefully you see your old man up there too.

[golddirt]

MI DIRT FAN, I have read the same thing, these openings at these tracks really need to be addressed asap as I saw boom Briggs car cut in half at the exit at farmer city a few years back. I'm glad I wasn't there there last night for it sounded like gregs wreck was horrible from the reports I have read.

[waaac77]

This stuff makes me sick to my stomach, how many more deaths do we need to see in sprint car racing??? I have always thought sprint cars are the most dangerous kind of racing. I am not sure how they can get them safer. All i can say is these sprint car guys should seriously move on to another race car with full bodies. RIP Greg

Makes me sick too. We don’t need to see anymore but it will happen again. Been happening since it started. These guys are thrill seekers. They love the rush and can’t believe they get to do it for a living so they’re living their dreams. Can’t take that away from Greg, Jason and so many others. Whatever we can learn from this incident could help prevent future incidents but all we can do is continue to try make it safer. It will never be 100% safe and in fact nothing in life is 100% safe. Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do. RIP Greg.

[Bob Hubbard]

Every time I see this happens....... I remember the Gus hoffman team & the two great drivers they lost ..... I cant imagine how bad the car owners - crew must feel .... Its sad yet another open wheel driver & team has to endure this ....

[jr29]

Just terrible news.
Greg was one of the first drivers I liked in sprint car racing because he was a Tennessee guy, plus he seemed like the nicest guy in the pits. In recent years he has been THE reason I've followed Pennsylvania sprint cars. I always had hopes he'd move back down here in a few years and race regionally.

[TS FAN]

Certainly the downside of the sport, but it was even worse 40/50 years ago. They have made the cars safer, but that will never stop the danger including hitting bad angles or weak areas for race tracks.. Sad to hear about Greg and prayers for his family

[chathamracefan]

The Farmer City opening has been hit a few times. I am always kind of leery of the runoffs in turn 1 at places like Jacksonville & Lincoln. At least there isn't a blunt wall, but the layout can (& has) created a launching pad. Anyone who saw Chad Boat's bad ride in the midget at Lincoln last summer knows what I am talking about. Maybe those turn 1 runoffs could be closed off & everybody exit off 4 (similar to Macon where everyone exits off of 2).

[TUTY]

RIP Greg. So tragic and he was a great guy. Now to the track issues. Why are these tracks open or they should fix these problems before there is ever another race. What am I talking about? In Wisconsin this year the wall is maybe 3 or 4 foot tall and u roll at 125 MPH into a sign held up by 1' thick beams. You can't miss the sign it's 30' tall (sponsorship money). This case in Pennsylvania needs the wall moved or changed so if u wreck or car fails u don't hit the wall at a 90 degree angle. Freak accidents can and will happen but these are avoidable period. In Wisconsin if the sign isn't there the car rolls to a stop and he most likely gets out un injured.

[mcarter815]

Modifying the tracks takes money that the track owners either don't have or don't want to spend. A lot of these tracks are owned by a fairboard and if they have to modify the track significantly, they'll probably just put in a permanent stage and hold concerts.

[TUTY]

You can't get a life back. Shut the place down period.

[HoosierDirtFan]

You can't get a life back. Shut the place down period.

Why shut it down? Divers know how dangerous the sport is and that's the risk they take. On op of that Selinsgrove / BAPS is on of the best tracks in PA.

[Clayton_Wetter]

http://i63.tinypic.com/351waqv.jpg

https://www.lovethisimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Animated-thank-you-images-2.gif
:):).........

[AllenK]

That last tweet has haunted me since I read it. Unbelievably sad. Once again,there will be moments of silence,and missing man formations at tracks all over the country. Nobody deserves it,but this always seems to happen to the really good and nice guys. Clauson's death still tears me up,and Jason Johnson was a great guy also.

I hate we have to keep making these kinds of posts. I guess the inherent danger is always a part of the sport,and especially in Sprint cars. Accidents will always happen,but this is still a heartbreaker.

[Trax53]

A couple photos I got of him in 2015 at Charlotte WoO World Finals.

https://images56.fotki.com/v1664/photos/8/1482378/15287635/DSC_2463-vi.jpg

https://images56.fotki.com/v1664/photos/8/1482378/15287635/DSC_2458-vi.jpg

[FieldFiller]

R.I.P. Hate to hear of any racer dying, but I guess one positive spin to put on it is that he went doing what he loved.

[AllenK]

This is both sad and amazing.

[Crossbones]

RIP Greg. So tragic and he was a great guy. Now to the track issues. Why are these tracks open or they should fix these problems before there is ever another race. What am I talking about? In Wisconsin this year the wall is maybe 3 or 4 foot tall and u roll at 125 MPH into a sign held up by 1' thick beams. You can't miss the sign it's 30' tall (sponsorship money). This case in Pennsylvania needs the wall moved or changed so if u wreck or car fails u don't hit the wall at a 90 degree angle. Freak accidents can and will happen but these are avoidable period. In Wisconsin if the sign isn't there the car rolls to a stop and he most likely gets out un injured.

I don't think the sign killed Johnson, it was the open wall he slammed.

[mcarter815]

I don't think the sign killed Johnson, it was the open wall he slammed.

It wasn’t the open wall. After he hit the sign, the car landed cage first on the top of the wall.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

In no particular order:

1.)Greg
2.)Bobby Allen
3.)Tim Kuhn
4.)Dave Blaney

[edavis71]

Absolutely sickening, god bless his family!!!

[kidrock]

This is really sad news. I have been watching a lot of Sprint car racing here lately and watch a lot races with Him and Lance Dewease.

R.I.P Greg

[MI Dirt Fan]

They ran a tribute video on the big screen at Eldora before tonight's 4 crown event.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

They ran a tribute video on the big screen at Eldora before tonight's 4 crown event.I can almost bet there was some onions cut man. I’d be one, I think a lot of people liked Greg and respected him.

[MI Dirt Fan]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nee4ieTd5z8

[smith19]

jeff Swindell put out a statement on his fb page. they grew up together.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nee4ieTd5z8TY MI, well done video.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

jeff Swindell put out a statement on his fb page. they grew up together.I urge anyone to read it, thanks man. That is well said, and just really cool and heart wrenching at the same time.

[MI Dirt Fan]

TY MI, well done video.

Can't believe it got 5 thumbs down...

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Can't believe it got 5 thumbs down...Either hit the wrong button, aholes, or they did it to thumb down that another driver was killed.

[jr29]

jeff Swindell put out a statement on his fb page. they grew up together.

I follow quite a few Memphis area racing groups and racing people and there have been a lot of nice remembrances and old pictures posted in the last couple days. Some great pics of Greg racing in the old B Car class around the Memphis area have popped up from when he was probably in his late teens. I'd post them here but I'm really bad at that stuff.

[smith19]

I know in his late teens he was helping duce turrill on the 8D of doug wolfgang.

[smith19]

from sherry hodnett…

I’m so sorry I haven’t reached out to any of you , I’ve been overwhelmed by all of your messages and have not had the heart to look at most of them . I feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest. I wanted everyone to know there will be a viewing at Grace Fellowship Church 1405 Seven Valleys Road , York Pa 17408 from 3:00 until 8:00 on Tuesday and a service to follow on Wednesday at 10:30 am open to anyone wishing to attend. If anyone wants to share any memories, or speak at the service , please reach out to me no later than noon on Monday and let me know so we can be prepared! Thank you all for the incredible support !

[TUTY]

Back in the day there was a 7TW Jeff Swindell, 8TW Greg Hodnett, 9TW Joe Gaerte.

[MI Dirt Fan]

Rico Abreu was in wreck at Eldora. Says on Twitter he left the hospital and was headed back to Eldora to watch the rest of the events.

Also Spencer Bayston was checked out at the infield care center then transported to a local hospital after a violent flip during the midget feature.

Doesn't matter what track or racing division it's a dangerous sport. Period.

[smith19]

poor rico. 2nd year in a row...

[CIRF]

I know that racing is a dangerous sport as does anyone involved but those dam push and flips have gotta be the worst
R.I.P. and condolences to all affected by this


All i can say is these sprint car guys should seriously move on to another race car with full bodies. RIP Greg

It is ill advised to respond to such ignoramus's and I'll undoubtedly regret that I did but sometimes I don't take my own good advise.

Open wheel drivers, and I mean the really good ones, are compelled to race them because they are the most difficult to drive and require significantly more balls than probably any other type of racecar. Thomas Meseraull said as much in a podcast not long ago. He also said that the danger, skill and bravery required to be very successful as an open wheel driver is one of the main reasons he does it. When you take all that away and resort to racing cars that are generally less dangerous it removes much of the challenge. I've never turned a lap in competition but I can see what T-Mez is saying.

Jack Hewitt told me recently during a personal conversation, actually it was at The Springfield Mile a little over a month ago, that we the living should not grieve too heavily over the passing of guys like Greg Hodnett, Jason Johnson, Brian Clauson and Jason Leffler, among a few others. He said they left this life doing what they absolutely loved to do and he said that is a fact that can be said of VERY few people who pass through this world.

Jack has far and away earned the chops to be able to say that. Besides being one of the best drivers that ever lived, sprint cars nearly killed him twice, and as a result his entire right side is partially paralyzed. In spite of all that he doesn't have a bitter thought or bone in his body. He said if it was safe and easy everybody would be able to do it, as it is only a select few are capable. Personally, I'll take Jacks word over either one of you two peckerwood's all day every day.