NASCAR team owner Shigeaki Hattori died in a crash in Huntersville on Saturday. Photo from HRE.
HUNTERSVILLE, NC – A former driver and NASCAR team owner died in a crash in Huntersville on Saturday.
Huntersville police say Shigeaki Hattori’s car crossed the center line on Highway 73 near McGuire Nuclear Station Road and crashed into an SUV.
Hattori died at the scene. The driver of the SUV has non life-threatening injuries.
Investigators do not believe speed or impairment were contributing factors in the crash.
Hattori opened Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2008. HRE competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West.
According to the HRE website, as a former driver, Hattori captured the Japan Formula Toyota championship in 1994 and moved to the United States the following year to race open-wheel cars.
He competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series, Indy Lights and IndyCar.
He won a pair of Indy Lights races in 1998 and made two starts in the Indianapolis 500.
In 2005, Hattori made the transition to stock cars and drove a Toyota Tundra in the Craftsman Truck Series.
The team has fielded cars for Johnny Sauter, Alex Bowman, Austin Hill, Max McLaughlin, David Garbo Jr., Lee Pulliam, Brett Moffitt, Sergio Pena, Ross Kenseth, Jesse Little,[2] and Ryan Truex. His race team won the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with Brett Moffitt.
As a driver, Hattori competed in the CART and IndyCar Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The NASCAR community is remembering Hattori in posts on social media.
The NASCAR family mourns the loss of Shigeaki “Shige” Hattori.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 7, 2025
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Shigeaki Hattori.
The Japanese-born racer was a two-time INDY NXT by Firestone race winner in 1998 and competed in 33 INDYCAR SERIES events over multiple seasons, including starts in the Indianapolis 500 in 2002 and 2003. He was 61. pic.twitter.com/kWFPWQN9rF
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 7, 2025
