NHRA crew chief killed when overrun by car on Parker County highway, Texas DPS says
A longtime crew chief and mechanic in the National Hot Rod Association was killed late on Monday night in Parker County when, for an unknown reason, he was lying in the roadway and a car ran over him, according to the Texas Department of Public Services.
The man was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office as Eric Jason Lane, 47, from Avon, Indiana. Lane had served as crew chief on a team competing in the NHRA Fall Nationals, which ended Sunday at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis. He was taking a break before competing with his team in an event in Houston, the NHRA reported.
The crash occurred at 11:40 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 180 in Mineral Wells, near Lake Mineral Wells State Park, DPS spokesman Sgt. Ricky Hunter said in an email. A woman was driving a Chevy Cruz along the road when she encountered Lane in the roadway, Hunter said, and was unable to avoid striking him.
He died of of massive blunt force trauma to his head, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities, according to medical examiner. It was ruled he was run over by the vehicle but the manner of death was an accident.
Lane was on driver Cruz Pedregon’s funny car racing team, according to the NHRA. A funny car is a specific type of drag racing car that’s light and narrow, speeding down the track with accompanying bursts of fire before a parachute deploys.
Pedregon, a two-time champion in the Mello Yello Funny Car series, said in a statement to NHRA that Lane “shared the same enthusiasm for the sport as I do.”
“He was known for his skill in working with NHRA teams but even more so for his upbeat personality and bringing smiles to everyone on the team and those who stopped by the pit,” Pedregon said. “...The sport has lost one of its very best.”
The NHRA wrote in its release that he was walking back from a restaurant near Mineral Wells on Monday when he was struck by a car. Jeffrey Young, a spokesman for the NHRA, wrote in an email the detail came from a statement released by Cruz Pedregon Racing, which he provided to the Star-Telegram. That statement also doesn’t include where the information came from.
Cruz Pedregon Racing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Asked about the conflicting report from the NHRA or if there was any indication why Lane was in the roadway, Hunter said, “This crash is under investigation and additional details are not available at this time.”
Lane began his career in the NHRA in 1998, after graduating from Universal Technical Institute in California, according to the NHRA.
A GoFundMe was set up to honor Lane, known to many as Hopsing or Hop, and had raised more than $20,000 for his family as of Thursday. The description on the page notes he leaves behind his wife, their daughter and “a legacy of dedication to the sport of drag racing.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 6:00 PM.
