Iowa Speedway comments on Leffler tragedy

The loss of NASCAR driver Jason Leffler has rocked the national auto racing community.

The 37-year-old driver died, following an accident while driving a sprint car during a dirt track event Wednesday night at Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway.

Leffler had just made his first NASCAR start of the season, placing 43rd in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Party in the Poconos 400 last weekend. He began his NASCAR career in 1999, amassing 73 Sprint Cup starts, 294 on the Nationwide Series and 56 on the Camping World Trucks Series.

Leffler, who had two career Nationwide wins and one in Trucks, raced in a number of events at Iowa Speedway in Newton. He posted back-to-back third place finishes at the U.S. Cellular 250 in 2009 and 2010. He was eighth in the 2012 U.S. Cellular 250 in August. Leffler also placed sixth in the 2012 NCWTS American Ethanol 200 in July.