NASCAR Contractor Dies After Electrocution

(ReliableNews.org) – NASCAR held its first-ever street event over the weekend before Independence Day. Drivers raced through the city of Chicago for the Grant Park 220 Cup Series race. However, a tragedy unfolded before the event took place.

On June 30, at around 11:30 a.m., emergency responders transported 53-year-old Duane Tabinski to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Chicago police told the press that doctors pronounced the man dead. NASCAR released a statement saying Tabinski “suffered a fatal medical emergency.” The racing company sent its condolences to his loved ones.

The deceased man was the owner of DUANE, a company that NASCAR contracted to provide audio equipment for the event. The Associated Press reported Tabinski was electrocuted while he was setting up the equipment. The Cook County Medical Examiner did not confirm the cause of death.

The DUANE team is shocked and saddened to inform you of Duane Tabinski’s passing earlier today. He was busy doing what he loved, providing a top-of-the-line audio experience for the enjoyment of others. A very giving and caring soul, Duane will be missed. Updates to come. pic.twitter.com/QUe9ZnIQTX

— DUANE (@DUANEROCKS_LIVE) June 30, 2023

According to Tabinski’s colleagues, he invented a piece of audio equipment called Tracpac. WLS-TV reported he was working on setting it up — for the first time ever — when the accident occurred. DUANE’s director of business development, Ken Sorrell, said it was “one of the happiest days of [the victim’s] life.”

Sorrell went on to say the company was Tabinski’s dream since he was a teenager. He worked on concerts and other special events, including previous NASCAR races. Though he was the owner of the company and running a business, Sorrell said his boss “never treated a client like a client.” He was always trying to find ways to make people happy and treated everyone like they were his friend.

Tabinski lived in the Nashville area but was in Chicago for the event. Sorrell said the company would go on without the founder. They went on to work the NASCAR event as planned and have other shows they were hired for. He said the company intended to “make [Tabinski] proud.”