Tony Roper sustained serious injuries at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night and died at a Dallas hospital.

Roper, the son of former ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series and USAC stock car racer Dean Roper, suffered a critical neck injury in a crash in Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly 400 presented by Valvoline DuraBlend at Texas Motor Speedway in nearby Fort Worth.

"Mr. Roper sustained a severe neck injury which caused blood flow to the brain to stop," said John LaNoue, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and attending trauma surgeon at Parkland Hospital. "He was left without any brain function and died at 10:55 a.m. (CT)"

"From the France family and all of NASCAR, our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Dean and Shirley, Tony's wife Michele and sister Kim," NASCAR senior vice president and chief operating officer Mike Helton said from Talladega Superspeedway, where he was attending the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Winston 500.

"We are all shaken by the death of Tony Roper," said Texas Motor Speedway general manager Eddie Gossage of the first death at the track in its three-year history. "I spoke with his father, Dean, last night at the hospital in an attempt to provide comfort.

"Instead, Mr. Roper provided comfort to me. This was a racing family and they are rightfully very proud of their son's accomplishments. We join our fans in offering prayerful support to Tony's family."

Roper had been listed in critical condition since he was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital following a multi-truck accident on the 1.5-mile speedway's frontstretch.

Track officials said Friday night that Roper, who was making his fourth start of the season for truck owner Mike Mittler in his No. 26 Mittler Tool Ford, was "unconscious and unresponsive" when he was brought to the track's Lonestar Health Infield Care Center. He was placed on a ventilator to assist his breathing before being transported to Parkland.

Dean and Michele Roper were at the race and joined the injured driver at the hospital Friday night. The driver's mother Shirley and sister, Kim, later joined them.

Roper was injured when he crashed after coming into contact on Turn 4 with the No. 43 Dodge Motorsports Dodge driven by Steve Grissom. Information released at the track said Grissom and Roper were involved with the No. 44 Maurice Petty and Associates Dodge driven by Mark Petty.

Roper's truck slammed head-on into the frontstretch wall after making contact with Grissom; then it was struck a second time by Grissom's truck. Roper was initially taken by ambulance to the infield care center before being airlifted.

The fatality was the second in the six-year history of the NCTS and the first since driver John Nemechek died of head injuries suffered in a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., in March 1997.

Texas Motor Speedway is the second fastest track on which the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. O'Reilly 400 race winner Bryan Reffner won the pole position for Friday night's race with a lap averaging 180.373 mph. Roper qualified 15th for the race with a lap averaging 175.496 mph.

Tony Roper had raced since 1986 in a variety of Midwestern stock car divisions, including International Motor Contest Association Modifieds and Late Models. He moved to the American Speed Association ACDelco Challenge Series in 1992.

He made his first start in the NCTS in 1995, ironically for the Mittlers. He had made 60 career starts in the series with his best start of third coming at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1997. His best finish of second also came at the half-mile short track at which he had raced in the ASA, in 1998.

Roper moved to the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division for the 1999 season with Xpress Motorsports. He made 16 starts in the NBS that season and finished 41st in driver points. Ironically he was fourth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings behind former NCTS pilot Tony Raines. He had three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fourth at South Boston (Va.) Speedway.

In the 2000 season, he moved to the third-year Washington Erving Motorsports team, but the combination struggled with its Dr Pepper Chevrolets. The team had difficulty qualifying for races and after making only three of the first nine events Roper was released as the team's driver. The team shortly after suspended operations.

Roper then returned to the NCTS with the Mittler Brothers Racing team. The team, which also operated with a shortage of funds, qualified for four of five races with Roper. His best start for the Mittlers was 16th at Nashville Speedway USA and his best finish was 21st at Richmond International Raceway.

Visitation was scheduled for Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. at Greenlawn North Funeral Home, Springfield, Mo., with a memorial service set for Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at the Fair Grove High School gymnasium.

An additional memorial service will be held in the Charlotte, N.C., area -- on Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at West Cabarrus Church, 7655 Speedway Blvd., Concord, N.C.

A Tony Roper Scholarship Fund has been established for Fair Grove High School, where Roper was a 1983 graduate. Donations can be sent to The Bank of Bolivar; 40 N. Main St.; Fair Grove, Mo., 65648.

Friends and fans can also send messages of support to the family via the internet at www.tonyroper.com.