Just awful…
Former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current FOX Sports analyst Clint Bowyer was involved in a deadly crash near Lake Ozark, Missouri that killed a woman who was walking on an exit ramp.
According to Kansas City Fox 4, the accident report states that Bowyer was driving on U.S. 54 and approaching Missouri 242 on Sunday, June 5 around 9 PM when he struck 45-year old Mary Jane Simmons, who was walking along the ramp.
Bowyer immediately stopped and called 911, and helped direct first responders to Simmons, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead at the scene. Bowyer’s car reportedly had heavy front driver’s side damage and damage to the windshield directly in front of the driver’s seat.
The report states that Bowyer showed no signs of impairment, and roadside tests showed a blood alcohol content of .000. A crystal substance was reportedly found with Simmons’ belonging that was believed to be methamphetamine.
Bowyer was last in the Fox Sports booth for the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway) outside of St. Louis, Missouri on June 5, just hours before the accident.
It was announced before this past weekend’s race at Sonoma that Bowyer would not be on the broadcast as he was “handling a personal matter.” The race at Sonoma was the last race of the season for FOX Sports and Bowyer, as the rest of the season moves to the NBC family of networks.
Bowyer has been in the FOX Sports booth since retiring after the 2020 season. He made his Cup Series debut in 2005, and drove in the sport full time from 2006 to 2020. He has 10 Cup Series wins, with his last coming while driving the #14 car for Stewart-Haas Racing. Bowyer finished 2nd in the Cup Series standings in 2012, his best overall finish.
Clint Bowyer Racing released a statement on the accident to Fox 4:
“Anyone that knows me, knows that family is everything to me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Ms. Simmons. This is a very difficult time for my family and I, please respect our privacy as we move forward.”
FOX Sports also released a statement after news broke of the accident:
“We are deeply saddened by the news of this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”
Man, this is just a tragic situation all around. Obviously your heart goes out to the victim’s family, because no matter the circumstances of her death, they’re still mourning the loss of a daughter, mother, and grandmother.
And something like this, which seems to have been an unavoidable tragedy for Clint, will stay with him for the rest of his life. Clint has always seemed like such a good, down to earth, fun-loving dude, so I can only imagine the pain that this has caused him too.
Just terrible.
