SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Brad Campbell was a longtime fixture at South Boston Speedway, a young man with a dream to one day become a spotter for a NASCAR race team. He reached that dream, only to have his dream and his life end when he died Friday after having been involved in an accident the previous weekend while on his way to the airport to travel to Texas Motor Speedway.

Campbell was a spotter for the DGM Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series racing team. The DGM Racing team cars of drivers Josh Williams, Alex Labbe and Dexter Bean carried decals on their cars honoring Campbell for this past Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway. Williams’ car had Campbell’s name over the driver-side door.

The Ringgold, Virginia native was a constant figure at South Boston Speedway for many years, working with longtime friend Chris Seay when Seay competed in the  Pure Stock Division at South Boston Speedway, as well as several others including former South Boston Speedway Limited Sportsman Division Champion Billy Myers of Hurt, Virginia, current South Boston Speedway Limited Sportsman Division competitor Jason Myers, and South Boston, Virginia area resident Colin Garrett.

Campbell was a prime example of an individual from a small town that worked hard in the sport he enjoyed so much, spent years climbing the ladder, and finally got the opportunity to do what he dreamed of doing.

There was much more to Campbell’s life than racing. He served with both fire and rescue as an EMT and, according to Seay, worked for an ambulance company in Danville, Virginia. Campbell’s desire to help his fellow man was seen when he volunteered to go to New York to serve as an EMT during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked in New York from the last week of March to the first week of May, providing help to the stricken area.

“His was a life that was unfairly cut short,” Seay said of Campbell.

The close relationship between Seay and Campbell extended much deeper than racing.

“It is more about what he meant to my life,” explained Seay.

“Growing up neighbors and being relatively close in age, we seemed to be more brothers. We clicked, we were on the same page with life and racing. It was a passion, and it obviously became life.

“I spent more time in the past 20 years with him than I did with my brother,” Seay continued.

“Part of that is my brother moved away to go to college and ended up staying. There wasn’t a day that went by in the last 20 years that I didn’t talk to Brad.”

Campbell was Seay’s crew chief and spotter during the time Seay competed in the Pure Stock Division at South Boston Speedway.

“Brad had a little different work schedule than I did most times,” Seay explained.

“When I was at work he and his younger brother were at the shop. In all honesty, I have to say that if Brad hadn’t been there, we probably wouldn’t have had hardly any success.”

Seay said he is glad to have seen his longtime friend reach his goal in life.

“Spotting was a lifelong dream, and he had been working on it for years and years,” Seay pointed out.

“It was looking like next year that (spotting) was all he was going to be doing for a living.”

A funeral service for Campbell will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m., at Highland Burial Park in Danville, Virginia.

For the latest news and announcements about South Boston Speedway please visit the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com and the speedway’s social media outlets.

Source/Photo Credit: South Boston Speedway