NASCAR Driver Tony Roper Killed in 2000 Texas Motor Speedway Accident
From his 1995 Truck debut to the 2000 O’Reilly 400, Roper packed five years and 60 races into a promising career cut tragically short.
Tony Roper was building a steady career in NASCAR’s Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series when a tragic crash during the 2000 O’Reilly 400 at Texas Motor Speedway claimed his life.
Roper suffered a severe neck injury when his truck clipped another vehicle and crashed head-on into the wall. He was airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, but the damage was critical—his injury had cut off blood flow to his brain. He was placed on a ventilator but died the following day at age 35.
Racing ran in his blood. His father, Dean Roper, was a well-known figure in the Midwestern racing scene and a legend in Missouri short-track circles. Tony followed in his father’s tire tracks, gradually making a name for himself in the competitive world of stock car racing.
More than 600 people attended Tony Roper’s funeral, held in the gym at Fair Grove High School, where he had once been a student.
Just 10 months later, Tony’s father also died in a crash after suffering a heart attack while racing.