it was reported on ABC’s opening coverage of the TUMS Quickpak 500 at Martinsville Speedway Sprint Cup race that NASCAR Sprint Cup official, Steve Lawson, has passed away. No details or arrangements known. UPDATE: Steve Lawson, a popular NASCAR official, was found dead in his hotel room Sunday morning, NASCAR officials said. He was 51. The cause of death was not announced. Lawson, of Rockford, Ill., worked as an official for stock car racing’s governing body for more than a decade, most recently as a safety inspector in the Sprint Cup Series. He was scheduled to work at Sunday’s TUMS Quikpak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A moment of silence was held before the race.(ESPN/Associated Press)(10-19-2008)
