- Rodney Orr
Rodney Orr (died
February 14 ,1994 ) was aNASCAR driver. Originally fromRobbinsville, North Carolina , he lived inPalm Coast, Florida at the time of his death. He was the 1993 Goody's Dash Series champion winning 6 races in 25 starts.Orr and his father, Beecher, purchased a car from Ernie Elliott in hopes of competing in the 1994 Winston Cup Series. His #37 Senco Tools Ford Thunderbird recorded the seventh-best time at one test session that winter, and the press was beginning to take notice. However, before he could run a single race, Orr was killed in practice before the 1994
Daytona 500 . Orr was making what is now referred to as a "Mock Qualifying Run", when he spun entering turn 1. Orr's car lifted up and the car slammed heavily into the outside retaining wall and catchfence with the roof of his car at over 175 miles per hour. Despite the efforts to save him, Orr died instantly of massive chest and head injuries sustained in the violent crash.In 2001, Rodney Orr gained attention again after the death of
Dale Earnhardt when his autopsy photos as well as pop starLisa Lopes were displayed on the internet. Earnhardt's widow Teresa testified before Congress to ensure Earnhardt's autopsy photos would not be published in a similar fashion.Orr was survived by his wife, Crystal, and daughter Ashton. He was 34 years old.
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