Man, boy killed in Northern California raceway crash identified

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Authorities identified the two people killed in a crash at the Marysville Raceway Park in Northern California on Saturday night.

The victims -- Dale Wondergem Jr., 68, and Marcus Johnson, 14, were walking in the pits as part of a driver’s pit crew when the winged sprint car crashed into them. Johnson was the cousin of the car’s driver, Chase Johnson, who was not hurt, according to the Associated Press.

The California Highway Patrol and local authorities were investigating.

At the time of the crash, the cars were doing their warm-up laps, according to Fox 40.

Wondergem was the owner of a few cars in the race.

The crowd went quiet after the accident.“Silent. Eerily silent. There was a focused effort to try and resuscitate those two individuals,” Steven Blakesley, a race announcer, said about the scene as it unfolded.

Wondergem died at the scene. Johnson was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

It was not immediately clear why the car lost control, but investigators are looking into whether mechanical problems were a factor.

“Our thoughts and deepest prayers go out to everyone. Out of respect, we will not elaborate on details. We ask everyone to respect each other and the families,” raceway officials said in a news release.

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-- Fox 40 and a Times Staff Writer