Man dies at Daytona while driving Petty Experience car
Quote selected text Published February 4th, 2008 in NASCAR News
A 60-year-old man crashed and died while driving at the Daytona Beach International Speedway as part of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, authorities and family members said today.
Robert Boswell was taking part in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, a program where fans pay to get behind the wheel of a NASCAR car, said his son Greg Boswell. The crash occurred about 5 p.m. Sunday, police said. Bowden was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center where he was declared dead at 7pm/et.
“He was driving at the time he died,” Greg Boswell said. Police released Boswell’s name, but they are not commenting on the investigation because it is still active, said Daytona Beach police spokesman Jimmie Flynt.
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wow, it would be odd as hell if it was a old DEI car and just comming into trun 3… u earnhardt fans know what im getting at.
thats the risk you take when get behind the wheel, no mater how safe the car is.
That’s sad–My prayers are with the mans family.
my heart and prayers goes to the family
This is very sad, but at least he was doing somethng he enjoyed!
How many of us will be able to say the same when it is our time?
Thoughts and prayers.
It says that he died while driving… so maybe the G-forces and the speeds got him excited enough to have a heart attack? 60 years old… I dunno.
dale was in a rcr car.
Wait… do we know if his death was caused by the crash, or was the crash caused by the death?
Some people have heart-attacks behind the wheel and die… then they crash.
Still, like any death in motorsports, it’s sad to hear.
Man, what a way to go… Flying around Daytoma in a stock car! At least he went out doing something he loved. RIP.
Very valid point, Malcom.
Still it’s better than a nursing home.
on one side i say petty shoudlrequire some sort of safety/health test or physical or something..on the other hand i also think a guy should be able to do what he wants to do. I’ve rode in a PDE car as a ride along, and they mandate the hans and a closed face helmet, and the seats are pretty tight. So it’s not like they’re 100% unsafe. I’d say if nothing else, the death occured before the accident?
Steve, they usually have you fill out a form for anything like that (from riding horses at a farm to renting race cars). On it, they ask if you have any medical issues. It’s easy to lie and claim that you are just fine… and even when medicals are concerned people have faked them before.
“wow, it would be odd as hell if it was a old DEI car and just comming into trun 3… u earnhardt fans know what im getting at.”
um no it wouldnt be odd…Earnhardt SR didnt race for DEI…smarty pants….:D..Richard Childress owned the #3…NOT DEI
Ha, good catch Darrelll!
Sad Sad deal but those are the risks, I just hope they don’t start trying to shut The Experience
down because of it! That would suck, I am hoping to go or be able to afford to send my Dad
because I know he wants to go try it out really bad too.
*Opps, didn’t realize it had changed my name to you Darrelll’s (above post)
My thoughts and Prayers go out to his family, what a way to go though, Probably had a huge smile though.
That’s really sad. My thoughts are prayers are with his family.
But hey, what a way to go!
DALE CRASHED IN TURN FOUR.
This was a big deal here. As far as I know the man had a heart attack behind the wheel and wrecked due to the medical reason not a mechanical one.
The school will reopen as soon as all investigations are complete.
It is a sad event but these things can happen to anyone at any place. My thoughts go out to his family.
It was pointed out that this is the first death in a Petty car of any kind for the schools.
I have been in them several times at different places and found them to be a first rate operation with very good training, cars and rules of operation…
Atleast he died living a dream of sorts I guess
Heart attack before he hit the wall. Very sad. My friends brother died years ago during a street race. He hit a utility pole at 100 mph. The impact didn’t kill him. He had a heart attack and lost control of the car when he hit the brakes and the brakes failed.
It’s very sad. Richie Evans was taiing cold medicine when he hit the wall and
and dies. He was a good friendof mine……..upstate New Yorker.
sad to hear and our thoughts and prayers to his family from mine.
and to the guy about odd old dei car
1 dale was in a rcr car
2 it is a death
3 have respect noone should die at the track
Richie was the man! He was better than Tomaino or Schroyer any day.
Wow, how sad, my thoughts and prayers go to the family.
Bob wrote:
I have also heard that the guy had a history of medical problems, but he did not inform anyone at the school of them like he was supposed to.
Also This was the first death for the PDE at Daytona, but they have had two other deaths at other tracks, and they were the same as this, the drivers had heart attacks.
How come we’re hearing a lot about this man’s death and such but couldn’t get squat when Dale died?
maybe some of us didn’t know about this site when dale died.
you’re reading too much into this.
his speed was not very fast so I would not think it would be the car. these things happen. too bad.
Malcolm you missed the point. It has nothing to do with this sight my friend. NASCAR only told us what they wanted us to hear when Dale died. They didn’t let Daytona or state police properly conduct the investigation like they are with this one. Anytime there’s a death, there’s an investigation by the locals first. It didn’t go that way when Dale died. Maybe NASCAR found out they’re not above the law?
Well, there is a difference between a race and a racing school. Dale was a racing driver, and the death of a racing driver isn’t usually cause for public outcry. However, the possibility exists that the public could get upset over a regular civilian dying in a racing school.
Racing schools are usually conducted in such a way to ensure that the students are completely safe. Also, I am sure Petty Enterprises wanted to make sure that it was well-known that this guy died of a heart attack and it had nothing to do with the safety of their cars.
It is sad, and I agree with others, the man fulfilled a dream.
Dying on the racetrack is tragic but we take our lives in our (and strangers) hands evertime we get in ANY car.
The Nurburgring track is open to any one with cash and a car every Sunday. They average one death a week. That doesn’t shut them down because people should be allowed to endanger themselves.
I’m looking forward to the day when I can endanger myself at PDE, and when I do I will be honouring that gentleman who died Sunday and every other person who has evered put their foot on the gas and stepped on it.
The article says the man crashed and died, implying that he first crashed, then died as a result. However, it goes on to state that Greg Boswell said that he died WHILE driving, implying that his death was not a result of the crash, that the crash was a result of his death. So, which is it? That’s the question I have.
“Robert Boswell, a 60 year-old from Apopka, Fla., was following another car at speed and apparently slumped over before crashing into an inside retaining wall in Turn 2 before having the car come to a rest in the infield.
Boswell’s family had bought him the experience at the track for his 60th birthday present and he on Lap 4 of 8 when the incident took place. The death is the first of its kind when it comes to the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Daytona.
An autopsy Monday revealed that Boswell, who had a history of heart disease, suffered a heart attack, according to Dave Byron, spokesman for the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office.”
from: http://www.autoracingdude.com/nascar/news/2008/2/5/richard-petty-driving-experience-competitor-dies-at-daytona
see also:
http://www.wesh.com/news/15210634/detail.html
and:
http://www.local6.com/news/15211862/detail.html
Google it. I found 5 articles in a minute that said he had a heart attack and likely died before he even hit the wall.
He slowed to 70 mph and was driving erratically, then lost control and spun into the inside wall in turn two.
The thing is, it will never be 100% known if he died before or after he hit the wall. He could’ve had a heart attack and still be alive and hit the wall and died, or he could’ve had the heart attack and died then hit the wall.