Bubba Wallace reacts to death of NASCAR Truck Series team owner Shigeaki Hattori

Shigeaki Hattori, a former IndyCar driver and Craftsman Truck Series team owner, passed away at the age of 61. He was known to race fans for his career in IndyCar and CART, as well as his Hattori Racing Enterprises organization in NASCAR.

He made an impact on many in the sport, and that included Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing wheelman took to social media to react to Hattori’s passing, delivering some kind words and letting the motorsports world know how highly he thought of him.

Damn this hurts, Shige was always going out of his way to say hello at any point in the weekend and always asking if I was ready to race for him again. We lost a good one. RIP my brother! https://t.co/p9veghMy2T

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) April 7, 2025

“Damn this hurts, Shige was always going out of his way to say hello at any point in the weekend and always asking if I was ready to race for him again,” Wallace posted on X. “We lost a good one. RIP my brother!”

That’s a kind statement from Wallace. It’s evident he had a ton of respect for Hattori, and he’ll be missed around the garage. The NASCAR world, and motorsports as a whole, truly lost someone special with his passing.

Moreover, the Huntersville Police Department confirmed Monday morning that Hattori was involved in a two-vehicle collision on the evening of April 5. Hattori was pronounced dead at the scene. Police do not believe speed or impairment were contributing factors at this time. 

The report stateed that Hattori’s 2025 Toyota Crown crossed the centerline on NC Hwy 73 and hit a 2024 Lexus GX550. The driver of the Lexus went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Born in Okayama, Okayama, Japan, Hattori came to the United States in 1995. He won the Formula Toyota championship in 1994 before making the trip to the Indy Lights series when he was 32 years old. 

During his time as a driver, Hattori won two races in Indy Lights. By 1999, he was racing in CART. With stops in IndyCar and NASCAR along the way, Hattori never gave up on his dream of racing. 

In more recent years, Hattori was known more as a NASCAR and ARCA team owner. Hattori Racing Enterprises won the 2018 Truck Series championship with Brett Moffitt. Austin Hill raced for the organization from 2019 to 2021. In total, Hattori has 14 Truck Series race wins.

Shigeaki Hattori gave a lot of drivers and crew members opportunities in NASCAR. His influence on the sport and the Truck Series will be missed. 

During the Cup Series race on Sunday, news started to leak out. There were former crew members posting their memories of Shige Hattori online last night. Sadly, the news was confirmed this morning.

— On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.