Zachary Yager, a long-time pit crew member working across NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away at the age of 34.
The Rochester, New York-native was a member of the Elite Race Services family, a company that specializes in assembling and leasing pit crews to organizations across NASCAR’s National Series.
“Obviously, nobody saw this coming, and we’re in total disbelief,” Cory DeMarco, owner of Elite Race Services, tells TobyChristie.com. “All of the guys send our thoughts and prayers out to his dad and family, right now.”
Yager was traveling the NASCAR circuit this season, working in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series (with Ryan Sieg and RSS Racing) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (with Matt Crafton and ThorSport Racing).
“We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our friend and teammate, Zachary Yager,” reads a statement from ThorSport Racing. “He was an important part of our family, and our hearts are with his loved ones and community as we grieve this loss together.”
In the recent past, Yager had also been serving on a pit crew in the NASCAR Cup Series, working with RFK Racing and the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, driven by Chris Buescher.
As a self-described “utility knife” of a pit crew member, Yager was able to take on many roles throughout his career in NASCAR, sometimes working as a jackman, a tire carrier, or even a fueler.
After graduating from Monroe Community College (in Upstate New York) with a Business Associate’s degree, Yager moved to North Carolina, pursuing a job as a NASCAR pit crew member.
His career began at Richard Childress Racing in 2014, but also included stops at Team Penske in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and GoFas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, before landing at RFK Racing in the Summer of 2020.
The biggest highlight of Yager’s career in NASCAR’s National Series, though, didn’t come at any of those top-of-the-line organizations. That was a win in the 2023 DAYTONA 500 with JTG Daugherty Racing and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
In fact, Yager and the JTG Daugherty Racing crew were knocking it out of the park at such a high level in 2023 that RFK Racing (which had leased out the crew to JTG) decided to trade them crews mid-season.
Earlier this month, in advance of his hometown race at Watkins Glen International, Yager spoke to News 10 NBC in Rochester, New York, about his experience as a jackman in NASCAR’s National Series.
As of the time of publishing this story, the circumstances of Yager’s passing are unknown. At the end of last week, social media posts had been made by members of Yager’s family, stating that Zachary had been missing since Monday, August 18.
TobyChristie.com has sent a request for comment to RSS Racing, the organization responsible for fielding the No. 39 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but has yet to receive a response.
