MARTINSVILLE,
Va. -- The
Associated Press (AP) has reported that popular NASCAR official Steve Lawson,
was found dead in his hotel room Sunday morning. The cause of death was not
announced. He was 51.
According
to reports, Lawson is the third NASCAR official to die this year. Brienne
Davis, a 28-year-old and one of NASCAR's few full-time female inspectors, was
killed in a car accident in April, and Steve Peterson, a longtime technical
director, died in his home in July at age 58.
Lawson,
of Rockford, Ill., worked as an official for stock-car racing's governing body
for more than a decade, most recently as a safety inspector in the Sprint Cup
Series, said the AP.
