VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Kecia Mathys said her father Mark Mathys practiced and raced on the Daytona International Speedway track before, but she never thought for a second that he wouldn’t come back home.
On Saturday, Mark Mathys did not come back home, and his family is devastated.
“We are just hanging in as best as we can,” Kecia Mathys said.
She is juggling happiness and grief, at once.
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Days after birthing her new son Xavier, she got a horrible phone call from her sister.
“He was in tears right away. I knew it was something serious, and it wasn’t good,” she said.
It was then she learned her father died after a tragic incident on the Daytona International Speedway track.
According to the incident report from Daytona Beach police, just before noon on Saturday, there was a collision between two drivers who were practicing racing on the track.
Police said Mark Mathys radioed his crew and told them his vehicle had a mechanical issue.
Then, he attempted to move to the side of the track, and that’s when the other vehicle hit him.
Mark Mathys was taken to Halifax Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Kecia Mathys said her dad was passionate about racing.
“My dad is what we would call an adrenaline junkie. He was always looking for the next biggest thing, and he lived life very fast,” she said.
The last time she saw him was in Ohio when he surprised her at the hospital a day after she gave birth.
“When I woke up the next morning in the hospital after giving birth to my son, he just (kind of) walked in like, ‘Hey, kiddo.’ And I remember being like, ‘Whoa, am I dreaming right now?’” she said.
Kecia Mathys sent pictures of Xavier to her father nearly every day after that.
“He told me his grandson was perfect, and he just didn’t believe it,” she said. “I do feel like we’ve kind of been robbed a little bit, but my son will grow up knowing his grandfather loved him so much.”
Kecia Mathys said her father worked so hard to create a legacy for the family, so she will do everything she can to make sure he’s honored.
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