Spokane Valley man dies after crash at Stateline Speedway

Garrett Cabeza, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

Oct. 21—A 65-year-old Spokane Valley man died last weekend after a heart attack is believed to have caused him to crash at Findlay Stadium Stateline Speedway near Post Falls, according to family and friends.

Scott Eldredge was driving on the racetrack Saturday night when officials believe he had a heart attack, hit the wall and the car flipped twice, said his sister, Janine Eldredge-Underdahl. It was unclear whether other racers were on the track at the time of the crash.

Eldredge was taken to Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene and placed on life support. He was taken off life support and died 2 1/2 hours later around 6:30 a.m., or 12 hours after the crash, Eldredge-Underdahl said.

She said officials believe her brother died from the heart attack — not the crash — but they are awaiting official results. Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Lt. Zachary Sifford said the sheriff's office is not investigating the crash.

"I can't even tell you how wonderful he is," Eldredge-Underdahl said of her brother.

Stateline Speedway wrote on its Facebook page that it was "deeply devastated by this tragic accident."

"Scott was a wonderful man, always there to help a fellow racer," the post said. "We will truly miss his smile and conversations."

Another Stateline Speedway Facebook post said it canceled the rest of the races Saturday night after Eldredge's crash.

"We all know that there is risk involved every time we get on the track, but when a serious accident happens, it still shakes us to our core," the post said.

Eldredge-Underdahl said her brother worked construction all his adult life. He loved racing, always smiled and was "the most supportive brother" to his two sisters, she said.

"He would stop anything and help anybody," she said.

Keith Van Dyne, a longtime friend , said Eldredge enjoyed racing at Stateline Speedway and loved the fans. He raced Legend race cars, which are replicas of American cars from the 1930s and '40s powered by a motorcycle engine.

Van Dyne also noted Eldredge's "awesome smile" and "great laugh."

"He would absolutely put down what he was doing to go help somebody else, even if it was across the state," he said.