Treadway started in the 2002 Indy 500, which was the “highlight” of his IndyCar career, according to a press release announcing his death.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis 500 veteran Rick Treadway has died. He was 56.
According to a news release from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Treadway died Saturday, May 30 in a motorcycle crash.
Treadway started in the 2002 Indy 500.
Treadway started 17th and placed 29th in the Indy 500 in the No. 5 Sprint/Kyocera Wireless/Airlink Enterprises G Force/Chevrolet fielded by his father Fred Treadway’s team and as a teammate to two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.
Treadway and Tony Kanaan were eliminated from the race in a crash in Turn 3 on Lap 90.
“The Indy 500 start was the highlight of Treadway’s INDYCAR SERIES career, which consisted of 11 races in the 2001 and 2002 seasons for his father’s teams Treadway-Hubbard Racing and Treadway Racing,” a spokesperson for IMS said in a news release.
Treadway made his IndyCar debut in 2001 and his final start in 2002.
Treadway’s death comes just weeks after the shocking passing of another racing great. Kyle Busch died last month from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
According to his death certificate, Busch’s pneumonia progressed into sepsis roughly one day before he died, and the sepsis then triggered a cascade of additional organ failure. The sepsis led to disseminated intravascular coagulation — a dangerous condition in which small clots form throughout the bloodstream and cut off blood flow to vital organs. From there, severe bleeding sent his body into hemorrhagic shock.
The death certificate noted Busch had been experiencing shortness of breath before his death. He died after he was rushed to a hospital following what his family described at the time as a “sudden illness.”