Jason Johnson's car "flipped and went through billboards outside Turn 3" during Saturday's race at Beaver Dam Raceway, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel World of Outlaws sprint car driver Jason Johnson died Sunday from injuries sustained in a crash at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin the previous day. He was 41. “We are heartbroken and saddened to tell you that we have lost our leader, friend, family member and our hero,” the Twitter account for Jason Johnson Racing said on Sunday, linking to a full statement on their website. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “With the same courage, passion and vigor that he raced with each night, he fought valiantly to the end,” the team said in the statement. “His love of life and sprint car racing was only surpassed by his deep and authentic love for his family, friends, competitors and fans. He never met a stranger, and certainly never met anyone that he was not willing to help or provide guidance. It is that giving and caring spirit that we will all forever miss.” Port-A-Cool U.S. National Dirt Track Championship Credit: Brandon Wade/Getty Images The team also asked that fans keep Johnson’s wife, Bobbi, and 5-year-old son, Jaxx, in their thoughts and prayers. He is also survived by his father, Craig, as well as his cousin and crew chief Philip, among other family members and teammates. Port-A-Cool U.S. National Dirt Track Championship Jason Johnson | Credit: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images Johnson was involved in a crash during Lap 18 of Saturday’s race, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The newspaper reported, “Johnson’s car flipped and went through billboards outside Turn 3.” Emergency crews quickly responded to the crash and Johnson was airlifted to the Aurora Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, according to World of Outlaws. Fellow racers shared their condolences on Twitter. Kasey Kahne Racing remembered Johnson as a “fierce competitor” and a “great family man.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. added, “Won some races, and championships together. Jason was a great leader for his team and strong man for his family. He went about things his own way and was really fun to watch. Still praying for Bobbi Jaxx Phillip and the rest of the family. Racing is their life. RIP Jason! !”<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>
Sprint car driver Jason Johnson has died following a crash at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin. He was 41. BEAVER DAM, Wis. (AP) - Sprint car driver Jason Johnson has died following a crash at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin, race officials said Sunday. He was 41. Johnson was injured during a World of Outlaws race Saturday night at the 1/3-mile-long dirt oval, the series said. It said the driver from Eunice, Louisiana, crashed on lap 18 of a 40-lap race while racing for the lead and was taken to a hospital. The series posted a message Sunday morning on Twitter saying that Johnson had died. A message posted on the Twitter account for Jason Johnson Racing said the team was "heartbroken and saddened to tell you that we have lost our leader, friend, family member and our hero." Condolences poured in on social media. NASCAR drivers woke up to news of Johnson's death hours before their race in California. "Won some races, and championships together. Jason was a great leader for his team and strong man for his family," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrote on Twitter . "He went about things his own way and was really fun to watch." Tony Stewart Racing said it was heartbroken as it mourned Johnson's death. "While fierce competitors on-track, the racing family has a bond that's unbreakable," the team wrote. Johnson won the 2016 Knoxville Nationals in Iowa. The racing community has seen several drivers die in crashes in recent years. In 2013, Jason Leffler died following a crash at a New Jersey sprint car race. The following year, Formula One driver Jules Bianchi suffered head injuries in the Japanese Grand Prix that ultimately cost him his life. Sprint car driver Scott Semmelmann died in 2014 during a wreck at practice at Beaver Dam. Justin Wilson was killed when he was struck in the head by a piece of debris during an IndyCar race at Pocono in 2015. A year later, Bryan Clauson died from injuries suffered in a crash during a race in Kansas. The popular Clauson was widely considered the best dirt-track racer in the nation.