Former IndyCar driver and NASCAR team owner Shigeaki Hattori was killed in a car crash in Huntersville. Authorities confirmed his death following a two-vehicle collision.

HUNTERSVILLE, NC – A former driver and NASCAR team owner died in a crash in Huntersville on Saturday. Huntersville police say Shigeaki Hattori’s car crossed the center line on Highway 73 near McGuire Nuclear Station Road and crashed into an SUV.

Huntersville Police confirmed that Shigeaki Hattori was killed when his vehicle crossed the centerline and into oncoming traffic on North Carolina 73 on Saturday.

We’ll miss you dearly,” Hattori Racing posted on X after the passing of its owner, 61-year-old Shigeaki “Shige” Hattori, who was identified as the victim in a deadly crash on Sunday. According to the Huntersville Police Department,

Hailing from Okayama, Japan, Hattori moved to the States in 1995 as he branched out into the American open-wheel racing scene. He competed full-time as an Indy Lights driver for three years, winning twice during the 1998 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Gateway.

Shigeaki Hattori, a former driver and championship-winning NASCAR team owner, died Saturday morning in a highway crash. He was 61. The Huntersville (N.C.) Police Department confirmed Hattori\\\"s death in a Monday press release,