Japan’s Shigeaki Hattori, Indy 500 Racer, Dies in Car Crash

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On Saturday morning, former race car driver Shigeaki Hattori died in a car crash near Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2025 Toyota Crown that Hattori was driving crossed the center line on I-77, and collided with another vehicle. While Hattori was killed instantly, nobody else involved suffered life-threatening injuries.

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After winning the Formula Toyota championship in 1994, Hattori moved from his home in Okayama, Japan to the U.S. in 1995 to pursue a career in open-wheel racing. From 1996 to 1998 scene, he raced in the Indy Lights series, winning races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Gateway Motorsports Park in Illinois.

Later graduating to the top-tier IndyCar series, Shigeaki Hattori qualified for the Indianapolis 500 twice, in 2002 and 2003. His best finish at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was a respectable 20th place.

His career then shifted to NASCAR, where he competed in the truck series, before becoming a team owner; his Hattori Racing Enterprises team won the NASCAR Truck Series championship in 2018.

The Huntersville Police Department do not believe that speed or impairment were factors in the crash. The investigation into the 61-year-old’s death continue. It is bitterly ironic that Hattori’s life was spent at breakneck speed in a race car, at death’s door. But a traffic accident on a highway that thousands commute on daily, took his life. Truly a tragedy.

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NASCAR Statement

“Shigeaki Hattori was a passionate racer and highly successful team owner, but beyond all his team’s statistics – which includes a NASCAR Truck Series championship – Shige was a genuine, beloved member of the garage who worked tirelessly to lift our sport and his people. We are deeply saddened by his tragic passing. NASCAR extends its thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends.”

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