Racing legend David Rogers passed away on Sunday at the age of 64. He had faced lymphatic cancer for a year and recently dealt with complications. According to Short Track Scene, Rogers was readmitted to the hospital on Saturday night due to concerns over a Feb. 26 blood test.
David Rogers was as classy and professional as he was competitive and successful.
Even though his heyday had passed by time I started covering him, I was immediately moved by the reverence given to him by the industry.
He was a definition racer in every sense of the word. pic.twitter.com/BbpZhlovTU
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverAW) March 8, 2020
Rogers is viewed as one of the most iconic drivers in racing history due to his time with NASCAR and the Snowball Derby. He has the most appearances with 33 and had actually made a return to active competition in December following rounds of chemotherapy. There were concerns at the time about his ability to complete a 300-lap race, but Rogers had plans of doing just that.
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The 64-year-old racer did make his return and broke the record for the most starts in short track racing. This was one of his goals when he was diagnosed with cancer, and Rogers was able to get back behind the wheel for this historic race.
“The first thing obviously is to get well and heal up and get to where I have a quality of life again, and when that time comes, then yeah I plan on trying to come back racing,” Rogers said. “I don’t see any reason that I can’t.
“I really need something to help me push and dig out of the holes sometimes that I get in both mentally and physically to try to get through this chemotherapy stuff, because it’s really tough. It’s a tough deal, but that’s one of my many goals. First thing is health and family, and then I plan on racing because racing is my life.”
The veteran driver drew attention after winning the NASCAR weekly series national championship in 1994, but he was best known for his time at New Smyrna, a half-mile oval just south of the “World Center of Racing,” Daytona International Speedway. This track was his home for the majority of his career in which he won more than 600 feature races, per NASCAR.com.
Photo Credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JULY 1986: NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough sits in his race car prior to the start of the 1986 Pepsi Firecracker 400 stock car race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
