Former NASCAR Driver Chase Pistone Dead at 42

Former NASCAR driver Chase Pistone -- a second-generation racer who carried one of stock car racing’s historic family names -- has died at 42.

Pistone came up through the short-track ranks before climbing into national competition ... racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series. While he may not have been a household name at the Cup level, he carved out a respected career as a gritty competitor and later as a team owner and mentor.

In recent years, Pistone focused heavily on developing young talent through his Chase Pistone Inc. Legends program ... fielding competitive Legends and Late Model cars that routinely contended for wins. Within grassroots racing circles, he was known as much for teaching and coaching as he was for driving.

His brother, Nick, shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook … writing, “Well, my young brother and best friend is gone. I’m broken-hearted and don’t know if I’ll ever get over this. I miss you Chase already and I hope you are in a better place.”

Legends Nation confirmed his passing Monday, calling his team “a force to be reckoned with every time they showed up at a track.”

No cause of death has been released. However, Pistone’s brothers, Tom and Nick, asked that the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline be shared alongside news of his passing ... while NASCAR legend Bubba Wallace mentioned on X "a guy I raced with in legends cars took his life today."

Racing was in his blood. Pistone was the grandson of Tom Pistone, who won two NASCAR Cup Series races in 1959 and was a respected figure in the sport’s early modern era.

Tributes poured in from across the garage, including from RFK Racing executive Brian Murphy, who remembered Pistone as “a true mentor who poured his time, knowledge, and passion into the next generation.”

Chase was 42.

RIP