A NASCAR pit crew member and his wife were killed in a car accident in the Florida Keys while they were celebrating their honeymoon.
William “Rowdy” Harrell, 30, was a tire carrier for Hendrick Motorsports. He together with his wife, Blakley Harrell, 23, died just days after their wedding last weekend, the racing team stated in a news release.
Before Harrell joined NASCAR, he was a middle linebacker for the University of Alabama’s football team, where he grabbed three national championships.
“Today, Hendrick Motorsports learned that team member William ‘Rowdy’ Harrell and his wife, Blakley, were tragically killed in an automobile accident in Florida last night,” Hendrick Motorsports said on Wednesday. “The newlyweds were traveling to celebrate their honeymoon after being married on Saturday.”
The Florida Highway Patrol said in a report that Harrell’s Toyota Corolla crashed with a Ford pick-up truck on US Highway 1 on Lower Matecumbe Key, according to NASCAR. The truck driver had minor injuries but two passengers were “seriously hurt,” NASCAR said.
Harrell worked for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 team for the last eight seasons, recently for driver Alex Bowman.
Harrell was a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion pit crew member with JR Motorsports.
