Kansas City, KS – Hendrick Motorsports revealed on Friday that team member Andrew Collier was the brother of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, who was killed during an overnight shootout with two Boston Marathon bombing suspects.
Andrew Collier, 25, is a machinist in the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. He joined the team in September 2008.
The team released a statement, saying, "The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports are with Andrew Collier and his family."
Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson also expressed his sorrow to Collier's family during a press conference at Kansas Speedway, which is the site of this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race.
"It's a very sad time, and my thoughts and prayers are with the Collier family," Johnson said. "I certainly know that it's the same for all of Hendrick Motorsports. We're one, big family. It's sad and unfortunate to see a fellow teammate and his family going through such a tough time."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne also drive for Hendrick in NASCAR's top series.
The Sprint Cup teams of Roush Fenway Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing will honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings throughout the weekend at Kansas.
Roush Fenway will show its support for the City of Boston with a "B-Strong" tribute. The Fords for Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will carry a "B-Strong" decal on their cars, and team owner Jack Roush has pledged to donate $100 for every lap the team leads during Sunday's 400-mile race. Roush Fenway is half-owned by Boston's Fenway Sports Group, which owns and operates the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park.
Team owner/driver Michael Waltrip ran in the Boston Marathon in 2000. Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. drive for Waltrip's team. The door number on their Toyotas will replicate the 2013 Boston Marathon runner "bib" numbers, which were pinned on each of the nearly 30,000 runners.
"It's touched everybody all week long," Bowyer said. "It's a tragedy, and it's a shame that these things keep happening. It's very, very sad. Everybody has been thinking about it. I'm proud that Michael (Waltrip) came up with the idea to put the Boston Marathon pennants for our numbers on our cars. I think it is a great way to say that we're thinking about them and we're along with them.
"Everybody has been following this, and it affects everyone. And now to hear about the Hendrick organization, the Hendrick family, it's just sad."
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