Bridgehampton Man Dies From Injuries in Riverhead Raceway Crash

Silas Hiscock Sr., a Bridgehampton resident and the owner of Hampton Tank in the hamlet, has died from injuries he sustained in a crash at the Riverhead Raceway on Saturday afternoon.

The Raceway said in a statement Monday morning that Mr. Hiscock was a veteran INEX Legend race car driver. The 78-year-old was driving during a practice race when he hit the fourth-turn wall.

Mr. Hiscock "was racing his car through the third and fourth turn at the time of the crash, with the exact circumstances that led up to the impact still not fully known," the statement said. Emergency medical technicians and other safety personnel were stationed close by where the crash occurred. Mr. Hiscock had to be extricated from the racecar. He was then rushed to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. He was later transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital, a level-one trauma center, where raceway officials said he died late Sunday night.

"Our hearts hurt this morning hearing of the passing of INEX Legend Race Car driver Silas Hiscock Sr. All of us at Riverhead Raceway send our condolences and prayers to the Hiscock family on the loss of this wonderful man," a post on the Riverhead Raceway Facebook page said.

Opening day at the track is slated for Saturday.

"To call Silas Hiscock Sr. an old-school racer would be accurate, with Silas enjoying essentially two different racing careers," the statement continued. "Back in the day Silas ran both Sportsman and Modifieds at Riverhead Raceway in the '50s and '60s where he earned his lone Modified win on July 8th, 1961." He took a step back from racing for a time, but when a new class came to the Riverhead Raceway, he returned, racing the INEX Legend Cars, which feature "body styles of the coupes and sedans from his racing heyday," the raceway said.

"What made returning to racing more attractive to Silas this time around was the fact his sons Silas Jr. and Will joined him on the track, often racing side by side," the statement said. While his son Will was also practicing his car Saturday, he was not on the track at the time of the crash, they said.

Bob Finan, the longtime announcer at the raceway, who wrote the track's statement, also posted on the Riverhead Raceway Fans' Facebook page that Mr. Hiscock was "a wonderful man and racer."

Last racing season, Mr. Hiscock made nine starts in his #07 and placed 24th in the final point standings.

The Raceway said it is the first in-car fatality at the track since 1994 when Bill Quilligan, a 45-year-old NASCAR Modified driver, died during a race. His death was attributed to heart failure. Mr. Hiscock's death is the fourth at the track in the past 25 years.

"Track owners Eddie and Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz send their thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Silas Hiscock Sr. on this very tragic loss," the statement said.

Funeral arrangements are still being made.