Only a few have united the NASCAR community with their opinions and love for the sport. However, among them, there was NASCAR on Twitter’s shining star, Matthew Burroughs. In a shocking development, Matthew breathed his last on Friday, and this has spread a wave of sadness through the NASCAR timelines on social media.

Primarily based on Twitter, Burroughs voiced his opinions from time to time. He was also known for being the voice of The Slow Restart, an initiative by Burroughs and friends to talk and discuss all things NASCAR. The painful news of his demise has deeply saddened the community, and messages and condolences have come pouring in.

Renowned NASCAR journalists come out to pay their respects

Popular NASCAR news propagator and editor-in-chief for Racing America, Toby Christie, shared a heartfelt message with the fans and reminisced about his numerous conversations as he tweeted,

“I am saddened to see the news about Matt Burroughs. The guy was always doing his best to bring a unique take to everything he covered journalistically. While I never met Matt in person, we exchanged several DMs over the years. My thoughts are with all of his friends and family in these tough times.”

The Slow Restart’s official handle also paid tribute to their editor and a part of their small but wonderful company as they acknowledged him as a friend, mentor, and writer. Popular journalist Jeff Gluck also chimed in as he recalled interacting with Matthew Burroughs on his timeline and even addressed his impact on Twitter, attributing him to the betterment of the ever-divided NASCAR community. Gluck wrote,

“Matthew Burroughs was a mainstay of the NASCAR community here on this site. I feel like his name popped up a million times in my timeline over the years. Have seen a lot of people sharing lovely words about the impact he made. Sending thoughts to his family and friends.”

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Especially on Twitter, harmony is a rare thing to find among NASCAR fans. Often divided by opinionated takes and a bias for their favorite drivers, Matthew Burroughs managed to bring them together at times with his lovable tweets. His death is a loss to the sport, without a doubt.

Hurt by the loss, a close friend writes a heartbreaking message for Burroughs

Deb Nicole, one of the podcasting partners and fellow publishers at The Slow Restart, had a lot to say about Matthew Burroughs. Having become close friends with him during their time together at the podcast, she posted an emotional message on Twitter: “, Matthew Burroughs was one of greatest guys I’ve ever known and had the honor of being close to.”

“I don’t know if there are enough words to explain how grateful I am that he was in my life. If it wasn’t for Matthew, I’d never have published written work, we’d never have had the podcast, Chrissi and Deb wouldn’t be, and we wouldn’t have added Janet to our trio. I’d never have met a lot of people that have become my tribe.”

Popular Twitter account Skewcar also expressed their condolences as they wrote, “RIP Friend.” 

Matthew’s loss will undoubtedly be a big loss to the NASCAR community. People like Matthew Burroughs have greatly impacted the NASCAR community, and we do indeed need more of them.

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