NASCAR recently mourned the death of Michael Thompson, a Fox Sports employee who had been covering the sport for more than a decade and a half. Thompson was a producer at Fox and had previously covered other sports, including the NFL and MLB.
Working as the supervising producer and creative director of NASCAR productions, Michael Thompson passed away at the age of 42, after battling terminal cancer for three years.
Thompson's colleagues at Fox Sports described him as a man with a profound sense of kindness and a positive attitude. He is also remembered for his sense of humor, which stayed even during his prolonged battle with cancer.
A loving husband and father of three, Thompson began working with Fox Sports to deliver quality content for NASCAR fans in 2005. Tributes from the NASCAR community have poured in to support the family since his demise.
NASCAR releases video statement after Michael Thompson's death
NASCAR posted a video statement on social media as a tribute to Michael Thompson. The statement elaborated on his two-decade long career with Fox Sports and his time with the NASCAR production team.
The video message said:
"We do have some sad news to share for you guys. It is with deep sadness that the Fox Sports and NASCAR family has learned the passing of our beloved Mike Thompson." "Mike started with the production team at Fox Sports in 2003, contributing to our coverage of the NFL, Major League Bat Baseball, NASCAR, NFL Europe and countless other broadcasts. Before joining NASCAR productions in 2005."It continued:
"An impeccable storyteller, Mike served as the supervising producer and creative director of NASCAR productions. His work has been seen by countless fans and deeply enhanced the coverage of the sport we all love." "He will be remembered for his profound sense of kindness and positive attitude, it was simply impossible to have a bad day working alongside Mike. Our love, thoughts, and prayers, of course, remain with his wife Michelle and children Hunter, Sophie, and Dylan. Michael Thompson was 42 years old."Thompson has left a mark on the NASCAR community through his work for the sport we all love. Our prayers remain with his family and friends.
More from Sportskeeda
" modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false; modalPopup.setHeader("Why did you not like this content?"); modalPopup.setContentText(modalText); modalPopup.addCancelOkButton("Submit", resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating); modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon(); modalPopup.disableDismissPopup(); modalPopup.open(); } else { sendRating(index); } } function sendRating() { var requestPayload = { "post_id": 1491137, "rating_value": ratingValue } if (ratingValue > 3) { requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null; requestPayload.rating_feedback = null; } else { if (!$('input[name="drone"]:checked') || !$('input[name="drone"]:checked').value) { showErrorMessage('option'); return; } if (!$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea") || !$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value) { showErrorMessage('note'); return; } var selectedOption = $('input[name="drone"]:checked').value; var feedbackNote = $(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value; requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption; requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote; } pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true); } function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() { var activeStars = Array.from($all('.rating span.rating-star.active')); for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) { activeStars[i].classList.remove("active"); } if ($('input[name="drone"]:checked')) { $('input[name="drone"]:checked').checked = false; } var userNote = document.querySelector(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea"); userNote.value = ''; modalPopup.close(); } function onsaveRatingSuccess() { modalPopup.close(); savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie(); $("#post-rating-layout").classList.add("hidden"); $("#post-rating-message").classList.remove("hidden"); window.setInterval(function showMessage() { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.add("hidden"); }, 3000); } function onsaveRatingFail() { console.error('Saving post rating failed!'); modalPopup.close(); } function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() { userRatedPostIds.push(1491137); var expiryTime = new Date(); expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 year setCookie("user_rated_post_ids", JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime); } function isPostRatedByUser() { var userRatedPostIds = getCookie('user_rated_post_ids'); if (userRatedPostIds) { try { userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds); } catch (err) { console.error(err); return false; } } else { return false; } if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1491137) >= 0) { return true; } else { return false; } } function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) { return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) { pureJSAjaxGet( getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + '/rating/count', function(data) { try { data = JSON.parse(data); if (data.meta_value) { resolve(data.meta_value); } reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } catch (err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } }, function(err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); }, true); }); } function showErrorMessage(messageType) { var messageContainerId = '#' + messageType + '-error'; $(messageContainerId).classList.remove('hidden'); window.setInterval(function () { $(messageContainerId).classList.add("hidden"); }, 5000); } (function() { var callFired = false; function lazyLoadPostRating() { if (callFired) return; callFired = true; if (!isPostRatedByUser()) { getRatingCountByPostId(1491137) .then(function(ratingCount) { if (ratingCount < 10) { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.remove("hidden"); } }) .catch(function(err){ console.error(err); }); } } document.addEventListener("scroll", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("mousemove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("touchmove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); })();ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tLzOq6uso5WasaJ6wqikaKaRqLCivo6nnLCrXay1sHnMopqhmZWherW0zqanrKeeYrK5vMuoqaKml2KzsMSMnqSppJ%2BusqZ50majop6VYq6vsIyhprBlmJp6pbXEnQ%3D%3D