Ashlea Albertson, who raced TQ midgets for Tony Stewart Racing, was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Indiana’s Interstate 65 on Friday morning.
According to a Facebook video posted by her father, Todd Albertson, the 24-year-old race car driver succumbed to injuries she sustained in the crash. She was riding passenger.
“I’m sorry to inform you this way, but I think it’s only fair that everybody knows and there be no speculations moving forward,” Todd said. “She was a good kid, a better person. She just loved racing, she loved the community and you all have done so much for her. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
“Please keep my family, her fiancé and everybody who is going through this time in your thoughts and prayers. Those of you guys who go to the track this weekend and enjoy racing, please know, that that’s all she ever wanted to do.”
Indiana native Albertson was a regular at Circle City Raceway, Shelby County Fairgrounds, Rush County Fairgrounds and other local tracks near Indianapolis. She recently won a feature at Rush County on June 17.
She drove the No. 4 TQ midget for TSR.
Teammate Tony Stewart also posted a tribute to Albertson on Facebook following her death.
“Today, I lost a teammate. Ashlea Albertson had an infectious personality and could light up any room. She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life. In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by controlling what we can control on the highway. Losing her is a sobering reminder of how precious life is,” Stewart wrote.