Former IndyCar driver Ricky Treadway has died following a motorcycle accident. He was 56.
According to multiple reports, Treadway was involved in a motorcycle accident prior to his death. Further information regarding the accident was not made available at the time of publication.
Treadway, who raced in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, was the son of 1997 Indianapolis 500-winning team owner Fred Treadway. He competed in but did not finish the 2002 Indianapolis 500 after being involved in a crash with fellow driver Tony Kanaan on the track.
“The Indy 500 start was the highlight of Treadway’s INDYCAR SERIES career, which consisted of 11 races in the 2001 and 2002 seasons for his father’s teams Treadway-Hubbard Racing and Treadway Racing,” a spokesperson for IMS said in a release.
As news of Treadway’s death began circulating on Monday, June 1, the racing community shared its condolences to Treadway’s family and friends.
“Sad news hearing Rick Treadway passed away last Saturday,” two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk wrote via X. “Our condolences go out to my former @IndyCar team owner Fred Treadway, Janice and Brian Treadway. Rick was a fun, crazy, humble, wild and brave personality ❗️RIP Ricky ❤️ We are thinking of you Treadway family 🙏.”
“Really sad to see this news today,” IndyCar and NASCAR driver Conor Daly added. “If you listen to @SpeedStreetPod you know how much this name means to a certain segment of our show. RIP Ricky. We’ll keep doing our #indy500 driver research in your honor!”
At the time of his death, Treadway was working in business development, was a commercial pilot for his own charter air service and was working as a Federal Aviation Administration-certified flight instructor, according to a release from IndyCar.
Treadway’s death comes amid a flurry of tragedies that have rocked the motorsports world in the past six months. On December 23, 2025, former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle died in a plane crash alongside his wife, two children and three others. Days later, Dennis Hamlin, father of Denny Hamlin, died from injuries he sustained during a house fire.
Most recently, NASCAR’s Kyle Busch died on May 21 of pneumonia that progressed into sepsis just days before he was supposed to race in the Coca-Cola 600.
“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” NASCAR wrote in a statement via X, announcing the racing star’s death. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”
