Sprint Car Driver Killed During Practice

Sprint car driver Scott Semmelmann was killed over the weekend near Milwaukee, WI when his racecar crashed at Beaver Dam Raceway during a practice run on Saturday night.

His death was confirmed by Beaver Dam Raceway general manager Carolyn Mueller and Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series President Steve Sinclair. Police later confirmed a death had occurred at the track but did not reveal the identity of the individual.

Semmelmann was killed when his racecar made contact with another vehicle on the track, flipping three times before crashing into the track’s outside wall. This weekend’s practice sessions were the first time the 47-year-old had raced all season.

His death was the first for Beaver Dam Raceway since the facility reopened in 1993. The racetrack, a 0.33-mile clay oval, is similar to the one Kevin Ward Jr. was killed on last month in Upstate New York when he was struck by vehicle driven by NASCAR’s Tony Stewart.

The race scheduled for the weekend was subsequently cancelled.