Veteran racecar driver dies after medical emergency at Winston-Salem racetrack

Longtime driver Robbie Brewer died this weekend on the track.

Brewer was a veteran driver at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. The track says he suffered a medical incident Saturday night during a race.

The loss of the 53-year-old racing veteran has left the motorsports world heartbroken.

“These drivers that race out there, they almost create or have some kind of celebrity status, even though it may be from a local standpoint, but they are heroes,” said Christopher Bishop, who covers the sport for Racing Pro Media. “These are the people that everybody that’s there in attendance, even if it’s for a weekly series, they go home and they talk about.”

The outpouring of love and memories has been immense. Brewer was an important figure in the racing community.

“It was very commonly said: nicest guy at the track,” Bishop said. “That came from drivers, that came from fans, the overall racing community.”

Bishop says Brewer started driving at Bowman Gray in the early 1990s.

“These drivers that race out there, they almost create or have some kind of celebrity status, even though it may be from a local standpoint, but they are heroes,” Bishop said. “These are the people that everybody that’s there in attendance, even if it’s for a weekly series, they go home and they talk about.”

Brewer was engaged to be married later this month, and in an emotional Facebook post, his fiancée wrote, “I’ve lost my best friend. I don’t know where to start picking up the pieces.”

Brewer’s daughter also wrote on Facebook, “He left this world doing what he loved, but it was just way, way too soon…This still doesn’t feel real & I wish it was just a bad dream I could wake from.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Bowman Gray remembered Brewer as a talented and passionate racer and a highly respected competitor.

“I think that’s what’s special about racing, is when you’re able to touch so many people in such a special way,” Bishop said. “It really tells a lot about this sport.”