Former NASCAR driver and speedway champion Bobby East has died after being stabbed at a United States petrol station.
The 37-year-old made 11 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and scored two top 10 finishes from 31 Truck Series races, many of which he undertook as a team-mate of Marcos Ambrose.
However, it was in speedway that he made his name.
East became the youngest USAC national feature winner at the time when he prevailed at Illiana Motor Speedway as a 16-year-old in 2001.
He went on to claim three USAC national driving titles, namely the 2004 USAC National Midgets and USAC Silver Crown championships in 2012 and 2013.
In a statement acknowledging his death, USAC described East as “one of the most prolific drivers of his era”.
East was found with a stab wound at a petrol station in Southern California on Wednesday evening (local time).
He was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he died, advised the Westminster Police Department.
The suspect, Trent William Millsap, is now also dead after police opened fire when they tracked him down to a unit in a nearby city.
Millsap was already on parole for armed robbery and wanted on an unrelated parole warrant.
According to police, he “became confrontational” when a SWAT team raided the unit, before they opened fire, although it has not been stated whether or not he was armed at the time.
Bobby East was the son of USAC Hall of Fame car builder Bob East.
Among his other achievements, he won the last USAC Sprint Car race to be held on a one-mile track, at the Milwaukee Mile in 2005.
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