NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Crew Member Dies After Accident At Martinsville Speedway 

A crew member for a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team has passed away from injuries sustained in an accident in the Martinsville Speedway garage area during a series event on Oct. 26. 

Wayne Anastasia, a member of the crew on the No. 46 Russell Goodale owned team, passed away on Saturday. Anastasia had been hospitalized since the accident on Oct. 26. 

Anastasia, a longtime Whelen Modified Tour crew member, was 65 years old. 

NASCAR released the following statement: “NASCAR mourns the passing of Wayne Anastasia, a member of the NASCAR Modified Tour family and a fixture in the garage for many years. Simply put, Wayne was a racer, and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Wayne’s family and friends at this time.”

The accident took place during an afternoon Whelen Modified Tour practice session at Martinsville Speedway in preparation for the division’s season ending Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200, which was run at around 8 pm that night. 

According to multiple witness accounts, Anastasia was moving through the garage during practice when he inadvertently walked into the side of a moving Modified that was involved in practicing for the event. 

Witnesses said Anastasia was thrown backward after making contact with the moving vehicle and ultimately struck his head on the ground. Emergency safety personnel performed CPR on Anastasia at the scene of the accident before he was transported to a medical facility.