The motorsports world is mourning the loss of former Indianapolis 500 driver Rick Treadway, who died at age 56 following a motorcycle accident.
Fox Sports reported Monday that Treadway passed away after suffering injuries in a crash on May 30, bringing a sudden end to the life of a racer remembered by friends and former competitors for his larger-than-life personality.
Treadway made his lone Indianapolis 500 start in 2002, qualifying 17th before finishing 29th in the No. 5 Sprint/Kyocera Wireless/Airlink Enterprises G Force-Chevrolet entry fielded by Treadway Racing, the team owned by his father, Fred Treadway. He competed alongside two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.
Luyendyk was among the first members of the racing community to pay tribute.
“Sad news hearing Rick Treadway passed away last Saturday. Our condolences go out to my former @IndyCar team owner Fred Treadway, Janice, and Brian Treadway.”
“Rick was a fun, crazy, humble, wild and brave personality! RIP Ricky. We are thinking of you Treadway family”.
Treadway made his IndyCar debut in 2001 at Kentucky Speedway and competed through the 2002 season finale at Texas Motor Speedway. His best career finish came at Texas in 2001, where he placed fifth.
Before reaching the IndyCar ranks, Treadway built his racing resume in Sports Car Club of America competition and Formula 2000 racing.
Fans and fellow drivers quickly took to social media to remember him.
One fan wrote: “Oh man!! Great guy!! Race in peace, Rick!!”
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IndyCar driver Conor Daly also shared a tribute.
“Really sad to see this news today. If you listen to @SpeedStreetPod you know how much this name means to a certain segment of our show. RIP Ricky.”
“We’ll keep doing our #indy500 driver research in your honor”, he added.
Treadway’s death is the latest heartbreaking loss for the racing community, which has been reeling from several recent tragedies.
His passing comes days after the death of NASCAR star Kyle Busch at age 41 following complications from pneumonia that reportedly developed into sepsis.
Busch died at a North Carolina hospital shortly before the annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The illness had reportedly sidelined him for weeks before his condition worsened.
Busch’s death also came just months after he and his wife, Samantha, reached an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit against Pacific Life Insurance Company. The couple had alleged they were misled into purchasing life insurance policies and claimed they paid more than $10.4 million in premiums based on misleading illustrations and promises regarding future returns.
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