A driver died last Saturday while racing in the 24 Hours of LeMons South Fall race at Carolina Motorsports Park. According to a mass email sent from LeMons’ headquarters, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be a massive coronary event, according to the email (later posted to the series’ Facebook page). The car and personal safety equipment all worked as intended and “appeared intact and functional,” the message added.
South Carolina’s The State news site reports the driver was Sidney Brayton, 63, of Norcross, Ga. He was a regular team member of the #22 Roper Road Racing team, who have run a Honda Civic at several Lemons and ChumpCar World Series events.
Kelly Ott, one of Brayton’s Roper Road teammates, wrote on the LeMons Forum that Sidney had raced circle-track events in New Hampshire in the 1970s, had raced club events, and had more recently run a Honda CRX on some of Georgia’s paved ovals.
Brayton got hooked on crapcan racing after attending a ChumpCar race at Roebling Road in 2011 and ran six weekends with Roper Road Racing. In every racing he’d ever done, Sidney’s entry always carried the numeral 2 in some form or another, hence Roper Road’s Civic #22 on its doors.
Race organizers halted the race immediately after the incident. Racing resumed Sunday afternoon with many teams bearing an impromptu #22 stencil in an act of solidarity for Brayton and his teammates. LeMons racers also took up a collection in the paddock to help cover the the cost of arrangements with LeMons HQ matching the amount raised.
We at Hooniverse extend our deepest sympathies to Sidney Brayton’s family, friends, and teammates and will keep them in our thoughts.
Edit: I apologize sincerely for misspelling the name as “Sydney.” The correct spelling is “Sidney.” There is no excuse for that kind of carelessness.
[Photo: Mark Barnes via Facebook]
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