Driver dies of injuries at Talladega track

<p>A Georgia man on a corporate outing has died of injuries from an on-track crash at the Talladega Superspeedway.</p><p>Tony Davis, 43, of Fayetteville, Ga., was driving a Ford Taurus provided by the Racing Experience driving school when he crashed Tuesday. He was air-lifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham where he died Thursday night.</p><p>Kelly Bussey, president and CEO of Racing Experience, said Davis had just completed a six-lap, high-speed tour around the track as part of a Bruno's Supermarkets Inc. employees corporate outing when something went wrong. Davis was a loss prevention manager at Bruno's.</p><p>"Tony was more than a manager here at Bruno's," said Bruce Efird, Bruno's executive vice president, extending condolences to his family. "He was a friend and colleague with whom I have had the privilege of knowing and respecting."</p><p>Davis had taken the checkered flag at the start/finish line and begun the shut-down procedure to bring the car to the pits when it veered into the outside wall down the track's long backstretch.</p><p>A veteran driving-school employee whom Bussey declined to identify was treated for minor injuries.</p><p>Talladega Superspeedway Vice President Rick Humphrey confirmed that track officials kept the car for its investigation.</p><p>"Our thoughts are with the family and everyone involved. It has been a very difficult week for us, but especially difficult for that family," Humphrey said.</p><p>Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jimmy Kilgore said an incident report was taken on Friday, but his department is conducting no official investigation.</p><p>Davis was a 1980 graduate of Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Ga., and played football four seasons at Jacksonville State University.</p><p>Davis is survived by his wife, Beth, and three children. Services are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ga.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/8/161998