On Thursday January 24, the racing community lost a truly wonderful friend and teammate”¦Sammy Gonzalez lost his battle with cancer. Sammy was most recently a mechanic on the #1 Chevy at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR). Gonzalez came to North Carolina from California in 1995 with Ron Hornaday. He was temporarily hired to help drive the team transporter for the Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) Truck Series teams from Washington State to North Carolina. He quickly earned the respect of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at DEI and was hired on a full-time basis to co-drive the transporter for the Truck Series team. Gonzalez always had a love for racing and being on the road with the team. He has been part of the DEI/EGR family since 1996. Gonzalez is survived by his wife Diane and two sons, Stephen and Sean. A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of Sammy Gonzalez will be held this Friday, February 1st at 6 pm at Williamson Chapel United Methodist Church in Mooresville, NC. The address is 575 Brawley School Road Mooresville 28117.(EGR)
