NASCAR star Bobby East was attacked at a gas station in Orange County, CA and died from the injuries on Wednesday, July 13 at the age of 37. The racing enthusiast was reportedly filling up his tank at a 76 station in Westminster when a transient man stabbed Bobby in the chest repeatedly. Emergency responders arrived to find Bobby with serious wounds and immediately took him to a local trauma center where he died.
The Westminster police are currently looking for a suspect named Trent William Millsap, whom they described a “transient and known to frequent Westminster, Garden Grove, and Anaheim motels.” He has an outstanding parole warrant and is considered armed and dangerous.
To find out more about the slain NASCAR driver, who can be seen in photos here, keep reading, below.
1. Bobby is a California native
The famous driver was born on December 17, 1984 in Torrance, California. He moved to Brownsburg, Indiana where he began his driving career at the at the at the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Indiana.
2. The United States Auto Club (USAC) called him a “phenomenal” driver.
In a statement issued on July 15, the USAC wrote, “Bobby was an immediate success in his USAC career. His three winning performances in 2001 made him the winningest USAC National Midget Rookie in more than a quarter century. Ultimately, he was rewarded as the series’ Rookie of the Year.”
“East was phenomenal in USAC National Sprint Cars as well, most notably on pavement tracks,” the USAC continued. “He tallied 15 wins in the series, with the first coming in 2003 at Ohio’s Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. He also prevailed at the Milwaukee Mile in 2005 in what remains as the last USAC Sprint Car race held on a one-mile track.”
3. He won three USAC national driving titles.
After making a name for himself as the youngest winner of a feature USAC National Midget event at the age of 16, Bobby would go on to win three USAC national driving titles: the USAC National Midgets title in 2014 and back-to-back USAC Silver Crown championships in 2012 and 2013.
4. He made his NASCAR debut in 2005.
In 2005, he attempted to qualify for three races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, clearing only one, where he eventually crashed his car. a few weeks later, Bobby made his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Memphis in the No. 46 for ST Motorsports. He performed well, placing 17th.
5. Bobby’s father built one of his first winning cars.
Bobby’s father was USAC Hall of Fame car builder Bob East, who is well-known for his legendary midgets, sprints, and silver crown machines. Bob Sr. built the chassis for the Steve Lewis Racing No. 9, which his son drove to the winner’s circle in 2004 at the USAC National Midget Series.