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<\/p>\nThe drag racing community is mourning the loss of T.J. Bailey, a dedicated track specialist at Texas Motorplex, who tragically lost his life during the severe storms that swept through Ennis, Texas, on Saturday morning. He was 42 years old.<\/p>\n
Bailey was at the Texas Motorplex when powerful straight-line winds tore through Ellis County, flipping multiple trailers and causing widespread damage. Friends, family, and racers across the country are remembering him as a pillar of the racing community\u2014a man who gave his all to the sport he loved.<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s impact on drag racing stretched far beyond Texas. Known for his tireless work on the starting line, he was respected nationwide for his expertise in track preparation and his unwavering dedication to the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re dealing with the grief, almost like it didn\u2019t really happen. Like tomorrow, we\u2019re going to wake up, and this isn\u2019t going to be true,\u201d said Craig Anderson of the Drag Racers Benevolent Fund. \u201cYou\u2019re talking about a person that would stand on the starting line from daylight to way past dark.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Drag Racers Benevolent Fund is now raising money to support Bailey\u2019s family during this difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen times like this come, when we all band together, we\u2019re all one, we\u2019re all one,\u201d Anderson added. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely going to be missed, not just locally, but he had a nationwide following\u2014just a great, great person.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Texas Motorplex released an emotional statement on Facebook, honoring Bailey\u2019s contributions to the track and the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Texas Motorplex family is devastated by the loss of TJ Bailey-an incredible leader, friend, mentor, and the heart of our track prep team. TJ\u2019s passion for the sport was unmatched, and his dedication to creating the best racing surface in the world set the standard for excellence,\u201d they wrote in part. \u201cHis impact on this track and the sport will forever be felt, and we will celebrate his life the way he would have wanted\u2014through the sport and community he loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s passing is a heartbreaking loss, but his legacy of dedication and passion will live on in the drag racing world. The community he helped build and support is now rallying around his family, ensuring that the impact he made is never forgotten.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on March 10, 2025. <\/p>\n
The post T.J. Bailey, Estemeed Texas Motorsports Track Specialist, Passes Away<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The drag racing community is mourning the loss of T.J. Bailey, a dedicated track specialist at Texas Motorplex, who tragically lost his life during the severe storms that swept through Ennis, Texas, on Saturday morning. He was 42 years old. Bailey was at the Texas Motorplex when powerful straight-line winds tore through Ellis County, flipping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}