The entire stock car racing community is in shock. The World of Outlaws sprint car racing series faced a tragedy this weekend during one of its races at Kennedale Speedway.

In a terrible accident, two race officials collided while trying to reach one of the drivers in a wreck. The subsequent collision led to the death of one of the officials and grievously injured the other. NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace would address this in his social media post as he shares the shock and grief of the racing fans:

“Last night was one of the worst, eerie-feeling, racing weekends of the year. One of the officials died. Just unbelievable. So my prayers go out to the World of Outlaws sprint car family and the man’s family that lost his life.

“I know the other one is roughed up, but it’s a very, very eerie feeling.”

What happened was that one of the drivers, Marcus Thomas, ended up flipping over during the event. Two officials in their side-by-side vehicles rushed over to help him set up his car. However, due to some misjudgment, their vehicles collided.

The event was canceled, and there are no updates on the situation of the second official yet. But that’s not all.

Wallace reveals another horrifying incident that took place during a World of Outlaws race the very same night. This time it was at the Smoky Mountain Speedway during a late model race. It was a similar incident during which the leader spun out, and one of the other drivers slammed his car sideways into him.

“You talk about crazy moments, so Dennis Erb is in a backup car because, at Bull’s Gap, the night before, he got wrecked. He’s got to go to a backup car. So he has already been roughed up.

“And all of a sudden, Brandon Overton, the leader, doesn’t see him because Overton is behind the lap car. The lap car moves away, and there is Dennis Erb parked sideways, and Brandon Overton just center-punched it. It was a wild wreck.”

Wallace was terrified of the magnitude of this incident, recounting how he could hear it through the television broadcast itself. Not only that, but the fact that these two incidents happened during the same night makes him eerily uncomfortable.

“So in an eerie way, almost simultaneously in completely different states away. Red flag for both series, sprint cars and late models, so thank God everybody walked away. But you talk about a wild night in dirt racing.”

The fans can’t help but feel heartbroken about the tragedy that has occurred at Kennedale Speedway.

Fans gather to grieve World of Outlaws official’s death

Prayers are pouring in from the community for the officials involved in the accident. “Still thinking about this from last night. If you are of the praying kind, please spare a prayer for those involved. My continued thoughts and prayers are with the #WoOSprints community.”

One of the fans aptly summed up the general emotions about the incident with an important suggestion. “It was the saddest and most somber situation I’ve ever witnessed at a race track. Prayers go out to the families affected. I hope safety protocols are reevaluated after this incident.”

Some other fans also highlight the importance of the safety crew in racing. Very often, these brave officials are overlooked and not seen in the spotlight. “Safety crews are a very important part of the sport. Often times the work they do goes unnoticed. Times like these give us perspective.

“We are grateful for the work all of them do to keep everyone safe. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this terrible accident.” Another user echoes their opinion in their own post: “Being an official at the track is a dangerous job. We all take them for granted. Prayers go out to the family & friends.”

While some fans are grieving the incident, some users took to social media to remind everyone of the dangers involved in the sport. “So sad. I love this sport so much that it’s easy to forget how dangerous every single aspect of it is. Prayers to everyone.”

EssentiallySports and our entire NASCAR family send our condolences and best wishes to the families involved in these wrecks. May the surviving official recover from his injuries soon.