chrisdamitz.com

Mike Humphrey, a former championship-winning chassis builder from Illinois and the current chief fabricator for Louisiana-based Black Diamond Chassis and Stuckey Enterprises, was killed in a Wednesday night traffic accident when a driver ran a Shreveport red light. He was 52.

Co-owners Ronnie and Terri Stuckey wrote on the company’s website that Humphrey's “devotion and hard work at Stuckey Enterprises helped us reach so many goals” as an integral part of Black Diamond production.

“We – along with all of our staff – will do our very best to diligently move forward and work harder than ever on a daily basis to carry on his passion and devotion,” the statement continued. “It’s just the way that Mike would’ve wanted it, so we can promise that’s the way it will be.”

Black Diamond national touring driver Morgan Bagley tweeted that his team was “thinking about Ronnie, Terri and the crew at Black Diamond as Mike was a gem of a guy and will be missed by many.”

A native of Carbon Cliff, Ill., near the Quad Cities, Humphrey spent his career producing dirt racing chassis, according to a 2015 story in Dirt Racer Magazine.

After a brief 1988 stint with NASCAR’s Roush Racing in North Carolina, Humphrey returned home to launch M&M Motorsports with his brother Bob. After 17 years, Humphrey developed Mach 1 Racing and a chassis that was popular among IMCA Late Model drivers, including Jeff Aikey, Mike Murphy Jr., and Brian Harris. Aikey drove a Mach 1 car to the 2012 Deery Brothers Summer Series championship.

Humphrey later moved to Louisiana to become a key player in the development and production of the Black Diamond cars (and sister Club 29 Race Cars) out of Stuckey’s shop.

Arrangements will be added when available.

Editor's note: Updates with new statement.