Sad News - John Blewett III: A NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver was killed as a result of a crash during the New England Dodge Dealers 150 Thursday night at Thompson International Speedway, state police confirmed early Friday. John Blewett III, 33, died after a collision involving a car driven by his brother, Jimmy Blewett, 26. After the accident, John Blewett was taken by ambulance to Hubbard Regional Hospital in Webster, Mass., where he was pronounced dead, said Sgt. Eric Murray of Troop D in Danielson . The accident took place at 9:48 p.m. as the Blewett brothers, both from Howell, N.J., were racing for the lead following a restart of the race on lap 107. Jimmy's car ended up on top of John's car just beyond the apex of turns 1 and 2 on the 0.625-mile oval, and the fourth-place car of Woody Pitkat also was involved in the collision. Jimmy Blewett exited his car immediately after the crash and began jumping and waving his hands frantically to get the attention of track safety workers. Safety crews rushed to the scene. At least four state police cruisers were on the scene less than 15 minutes later. By 10:05 p.m., state police officers were measuring areas around the crash scene as crews worked to remove John Blewett from his car. The crowd of about 8,000, most still in the frontstretch grandstands, was silent. All that could be heard around the track was the hum of power generators on the midway outside of the frontstretch. Both of the Blewetts also competed in Thompson's weekly SK Modified division and were involved together in an accident on a restart early in the event.(Hartford Courant)(8-17-2007)
