LEXINGTON ― A Mansfield man who loved all things racing and who started his career at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course took his final lap March 25 — a fitting tribute to a man who belonged at the track.
Greg Donnelly, 56, died March 16 in Florida while working.
Donnelly graduated from Olentangy High School and was a U.S. Navy veteran. He found his dream job working for Stepp’s Safety and Recovery Team as part of a NASCAR towing crew, traveling the country from track to track.
It was work he truly loved and took pride in, and he quickly became a familiar and respected presence in the racing community, according to his obituary at Snyder Funeral Home.
Around 12:30 p.m., after the funeral service, the funeral procession of about 75 vehicles took a lap around the track, then the lead van, hearse and Donnelly’s tow truck took the second lap. Everyone gathered in the pit area to honor him.
Donnelly lived near Mid-Ohio and began his career there. He maintained numerous friendships with the staff and was a good neighbor, calling the office when he saw an open gate.
Wherever the circuit went, Donnelly built connections. At every track, there were people who knew him— people who had worked alongside him, shared long days and late nights, and came to appreciate the kind of person he was. He had an easygoing nature, an infectious smile and a way of talking to anyone that made people feel like they’d known him for years, his family said in his obituary.
People at the track said Donnelly was a great person, a friend, someone everyone knew and loved. The track was otherwise quiet.
His burial followed at Perry Township Cemetery.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield man takes final lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Reporting by Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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