Two dead, six injured after car leaves raceway track

MOUNT VERNON, Ill. -- A race car that left the track at the Mount Vernon Raceway Saturday and flew into the stands killed a young man and his girlfriend's father, relatives said Sunday.

Five other spectators and the driver of the race car were injured in the accident.

The dead were identified as Donald Roznowski, 51, and Jeff Conner, 18, both of Du Quoin, Ill.

Conner had been dating Roznowski's 17-year-old daughter, Jami, for about three years, according to relatives. The two men were "good race buddies" who often visited the track together, said one of Roznowski's three other daughters.

"It's something Jeff and my dad liked to do. Usually, I'm right there next to them," said 25-year-old Elizabeth Roznowski.

Roznowski was a maintenance supervisor for the local school district and a pit crew member for one of the drivers at the track.

Elizabeth Roznowski said her father liked to sit near the top of the bleachers -- when he wasn't on the track -- because it offered the best view.

Conner was a recent graduate of Du Quoin High School, said Margie Conner, his aunt.

"He was a nice, clean-cut boy, very understanding. He went to church on Sunday. He did good," she said.

The cause of the accident was not determined Sunday and no charges were filed, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. John Lewis said. Because of the complexity of the incident, the investigation had been turned over to State Police.

The car's driver, Kevin Beatiee, 38, of Benton, told police the car's throttle got stuck before the vehicle flew into the top rows of the viewing stands, Lewis said.

"We're looking at all aspects from the layout of the track, to the protection of viewing stands, to the driver," Lewis said. "There are numerous, numerous questions that still have to be answered."

The owners of the track expressed sympathy for the victims and their relatives in a statement posted on the raceway's Web Site.

"It is almost impossible to put our feelings into words, other than we are deeply sorry that this tragedy has occurred. It will change the way that we look at and remember racing forever," the statement said.

It was not immediately clear why the car jumped the track during a qualification run around 6:50 p.m., according to Illinois State Police. It was the only vehicle on the oval at the time.

Authorities released the names of the others injured early Sunday. Carl Hartung, 41, of Carbondale, received major injuries, and Kevin Noble, 29, of Huntingburg, Ind., had moderate injuries, Lewis said. John Hartung, 32, of Carbondale, John Marks, 67, of Eldorado, and Jeffrey Stanley, 29, of West Frankfort, all received minor injuries. Beatiee received minor injuries.

Witnesses said the car crushed spectators against the bleachers. A few people were trapped beneath the car.

One of the victims, John Marks, said he saw the car flying into the bleachers but did not have enough time to move out of the way.

"Something happened and the car got out of control," Marks said Sunday. "My leg was pinned between the car's left front wheel and the bleachers."

Roznowski and Conner were taken to Crossroads Community Hospital. Carl Hartung was transported to a St. Louis hospital and his injuries were not life threatening, Lewis said.

The other five victims were transported to St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital and were treated and released, a nursing supervisor said.

Mount Vernon Raceway is a quarter-mile dirt oval race track in southern Illinois featuring late-model stock car races.