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.