Champion off-road racer Rick Huseman was killed this afternoon in a plane crash near Barstow, California. While unrelated to the death of Dan Wheldon, it's another sad occasion in what will long be remembered as a dark day in motorsports history.


The accident occurred approximately 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon when the plane, a Beechcraft 33 Bonanza, was attempting to make an emergency landing at the Barstow/Dagget Airport. Huseman and his family were returning from the Monster Energy Cup held in Las Vegas last night. According to DIRTNewz, his younger brother Jeff was one of the three people killed. It's unclear who the third victim is.


Huseman has been racing 1997 and was the first PRO4X4 Traxxas TORC Series Championship in 2009, garnering six wins and 10 podium finishes. In 2010, Husman won the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 Championship. He was in second place in the 2011 Lucas Oil Series following the most recent race in Arizona, just 23 points behind the leader.

Huseman was 38 years old.

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Sadly, crashing is an inevitable part of racing. The sport we love has taken many of our heroes, and although tragedy is never pleasant, it's important to remember who we've lost. More »