Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer was involved in a deadly vehicular crash with a pedestrian while exiting a Missouri highway.
Bowyer, now an analyst for Fox Sports, was driving and allegedly struck a woman walking on the ramp identified as Mary Jane Simmons while near the Lake of the Ozarks. Per Lake Ozark police, Bowyer was not under the influence at the time of the crash and was the individual who called 911. Police believe Simmons may have been under the influence of a controlled substance.
From Kansas City’s Fox 4:
The crash report states once Bowyer realized the crash occurred, he immediately hit his brakes. He called 911 and helped point first responders to the female victim who was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman has been identified as Mary Jane Simmons, of Camdenton, Missouri.
Bowyer’s vehicle was reported to have sustained heavy front driver side damage and major damage to the windshield directly in front of the driver seat.
The crash report states Bowyer showed zero signs of impairment and provided a roadside sample of .000 blood alcohol content.
Bowyer was not a part of Fox’s Cup Series broadcast of the Sonoma race won by Daniel Suarez on June 12. The network said that Bowyer would miss the race for personal reasons and offered no other explanation for his absence. Bowyer confirmed the wreck in a statement to Fox 4 and asked for privacy for he and his family and prayers for Simmons’ family.
The crash happened the night after a Cup Series race outside of St. Louis. The St. Louis metro area is approximately two hours away from the Lake of the Ozarks region, a popular summer destination for Missouri residents.
Bowyer has been a part of Fox’s Cup Series booth since retiring from NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season. He won 10 races across 541 Cup Series starts from 2005-2020 and finished second in the points standings in 2012. With the Cup Series off for Father’s Day weekend and NBC taking over the rest of the schedule for the season, Sonoma was scheduled to be Bowyer’s final race of 2022.