FROM THE ITEM: (www.theitem.com)

By JASON WERMERS

SUMMERTON -- Ed Gibbons, a popular dirt track race-car driver from Manning, died early Sunday when his pickup truck ran off Wash Davis Road, and he was partially ejected while it rolled over, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Gibbons, 46, of Manning, was the well-liked driver of the No. 07 car in the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series. He won the series in 2001 and finished third in the points standings last year.

"He was one of the most popular drivers in the Carolinas and Georgia on the dirt-track circuit," said Larry Long, a longtime friend of Gibbons and Carolina Clash spokesman. "He's going to be missed not only by his boys and his family, but by the entire Southeastern dirt-track racking community."

Clarendon County Coroner Hayes Samuels said Gibbons was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck.

It happened at 6:16 a.m. on Wash Davis, about 2.9 miles west of Summerton, Lance Cpl. Joseph Robinson of t he Highway Patrol said.

Gibbons was driving a 2004 Chevrolet pickup truck westbound on Wash Davis when he ended up running off the road at a curve. Gibbons over-corrected to the left, then over-corrected to the right, which caused the vehicle to overturn, Robinson said.

Gibbons, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected when the pickup truck overturned, Robinson said. Toxicology tests are pending.

Announcements of the wreck that claimed Gibbons' life were made in churches throughout the tri-county region and as far away as Fayetteville, N.C. It was widely believed that Gibbons was on the way to go fishing, another passion of his, Long said.

"He was just a likeable person," Long said. "He took time with his family, and he was very supportive of the Carolina Clash racing series."

An article on carolinaclash.com, the racing series' official Web site, mentioned Gibbons' only series win in 2008 and his third-place points finish.

"Ed Gibbons only captured one victory in 2008, but it was a big one as the popular Manning, S.C. resident scored the $9,000 '3rd Annual Clash Bash' win at Fayetteville Motor Speedway," the article says. "That win vaulted him into third place in the final point standings."

Gibbons was also well-known among local racing fans. Perhaps his biggest moment at Sumter Speedway came in November 2006, when he beat out Nextel Cup series racer Ken Schrader to win the Late Model Series after-Thanksgiving race.

"In Sumter, everyone said you had to outrun Ed Gibbons and his 07 car," Long said. "He was a very talented driver."

Long said he had known Gibbons for more than 30 years, since he first got his start in racing.

"He always went out not looking for second place, but always looking for that checkered flag," Long said. "Taht's the way he raced. He didn't like to follow the leader. He liked to be the pacesetter."

Long last saw Gibbons Jan. 10, during the Carolina Clash's awards banquet at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

"I was sitting at his table," Long said. "We talked and had a good time, him and all his crew members. ... I'm going to miss him. I can't hardly believe I sat with him at the banquet at Lowe's, and now he's gone."

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