STERLING, CT. (THECOUNT) — Mike Stefanik, Seven-time NASCAR Modified Tour champion, was killed in a plane crash Sunday in Sterling, CT, according to reports.
Stefanik, 61, was piloting a single-engine, single-seater Aero Ultra-Light aircraft when the fatal crash occurred on Sunday.
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According to MotorSport, Stefanik had departed from Riconn Private Airfield near the Rhode Island border when the plane he was operating crashed into a wooded area near the airport.
No further information was immediately made available.
In his career, Stefanik won 74 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races in 453 starts, as well as seven championships between 1989 and 2006. He was also a two-time Busch North Series champion, now known as the K&N Pro Series East division.
Stefanik also made appearances at the national level, starting 52 total races between the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series.
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France statement:
“Mike Stefanik was one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history, but even more so, he was a true representative of our sport. His tough, competitive nature and excellence on the race track won him the respect and admiration of fans and competitors alike. His career stretched more than 30 years, bridging the generations between Jerry Cook and Richie Evans to our current drivers. He recorded achievements in this sport that are likely untouchable, and his legacy as a champion will endure. We will keep his wife Julie and his family and friends in our prayers.”
Geo quick facts: Sterling is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,099 at the 2000 census. Connecticut is a U.S. state in southern New England that has a mix of coastal cities and rural areas dotted with small towns. Mystic is famed for its Seaport museum filled with centuries-old ships, and the beluga whale exhibits at Mystic Aquarium. On Long Island Sound, the city of New Haven is known as the home of Yale University and its acclaimed Peabody Museum of Natural History – wikipedia.