NASCARs most famous driving family has lost its youngest star. Adam Petty, stock car racings first fourth-generation driver, died after a crash during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway Friday, five weeks after the family buried patriarch Lee Petty, his great-grandfather. The 19-year-old driver appeared to brush the wall in Turn 3 before spinning out and smashing sideways into the concrete as he prepared for qualifying for todays Busch 200 on the 1.058-mile New Hampshire International Speedway oval. Petty was taken to Concord Hospital, where he died of head trauma, spokeswoman Jennifer Dearborn said. The effects of Pettys death resounded throughout the racing world. I ran against him three or four different times, said Bill Baird of Sturgis, who claimed the 1999 Automobile Racing Club of America title. He was a super young kid and very well mannered for a young person today. You could tell he was brought up right in life. Rescue workers removed Petty by cutting through the roof of the red and blue No. 45 Sprint PCS Chevrolet. A yellow tarp was draped over the car as it was taken off the track on a flatbed truck. Petty is the grandson of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard The King Petty and the son of Kyle Petty, a regular on the Winston Cup circuit. Adams great grandfather was Lee Petty, one of the pioneers of NASCAR.Thats two big losses in the last month for that family, said driver Randy Lajoie. We know when we leave pit row we may not come back. I thank God every night Im alive. Tonight, Ill thank him twice. NASCAR president Bill France said the organization was praying for the Petty family. It is difficult to express our sadness over the passing of Adam Petty, France said. The Pettys are an integral part of the sport of NASCAR. The entire NASCAR community will miss Adam Petty. In the Petty family hometown of Level Cross, N.C., state and American flags were lowered to half staff. Adams father, Kyle, was out of the country on a personal trip, and the rest of the family was gathering in a private place, according to a statement from Petty Enterprises. I know his family has a strong faith, and Im with them right now, driver Tim Fedewa said, his voice quavering with emotion as he spoke to reporters at the Loudon speedway, where he won the pole for the race with a lap at 130.247Kevin Kirby of Bowling Green, whose 19-year-old son, Stuart, races NASCAR late models at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, was shocked by the news. Life can be taken away as quickly as it is given, Kirby said. You hate to lose anyone, but especially Adam. He was a fourth-generation racer who I thought would bring the family back full circle to where it once was. Adam Petty was 20th last year in the Grand National points race and third in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings, finishing a career-best fourth in Fontana, Calif., in May. He had planned to drive full time next year on the Winston Cup circuit in one of Petty Enterprises new Dodges as a teammate of his father and John Andretti. Baird, who suffered hard crashes at Daytona this year and Atlanta in 1998, put racing in perspective in a telephone interview Friday. When youre in the drivers seat you know when something is going to happen, the 50-year-old Baird said. At Daytona this year, I hit the wall hard and was still conscious. I feel safe in saying that in Adams mind, he felt safe; the cars are so safe today when you see all of the bad circumstances and people walk away or come back like Geoffrey Bodine. Adam Petty first got serious notice in racing in September 1998 when he won the ARCA race in Charlotte, N.C., at age 18, becoming the youngest driver to win a race in that series. He also ran the full American Speed Association season that year. His father won the Daytona ARCA 200 in his first series start in 1979.ARCA expressed its condolences to the Petty family. From all of us at ARCA our deepest condolences (go) to the entire Petty Racing Family for the loss of fourth-generation driver Adam Petty, said Don Radebaugh, media relations officer for ARCA. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pettys. Adam Pettys death was the first on-track fatality in NASCAR since John Nemechek was killed in a Craftsman Truck race in Homestead, Fla., in 1997.Lee Petty died April 5 at age 86 from complications of a stomach aneurysm several weeks after surgery. Adam Petty had made his Winston Cup debut just three days earlier in Fort Worth, Texas. Lee Petty won 55 races, which is still seventh-best in NASCAR history, and three Grand National now Winston Cup championships. In 1959, he became the photo-finish winner of the first Daytona 500.His son, Richard, became the king of stock car racing with a record 200 victories and seven championships. Richards son, Kyle, is in his 20th year as a Winston Cup regular, and has taken over the day-to-day business of running the familys team. In 1999, Kyle Petty was asked about his sons decision to join the family racing tradition. I think its like any parent when your 16-year old leaves the driveway for the first time. Its like, Ugh, are they gonna make it back? he said. Adam Pettys entry into racing made the Petty Enterprises team the first with four generations of NASCAR drivers. It was his second season as a Busch Series regular and he planned to drive in five Winston Cup races this season in preparation for a shot at the rookie title in 2001.The last fatality in stock car racing occurred Aug. 28 at Atlanta Speedway when Chad Coleman was fatally injured in the Georgia Power 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The last death in Busch competition was that of Clifford Allison, the son of another NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bobby Allison. Clifford Allison was killed during practice for a race in Brooklyn, Mich., in 1992.Adam Petty also is survived by his mother, Pattie; his grandmother, Lynda; and his great-grandmother, Elizabeth. Adam Pettys death was one of several involving NASCAR drivers in the past eight years. Clifford Allisons older brother, Davey, a Winston Cup star, was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993. A few months earlier, 1992 series champion Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash in Tennessee. Winston Cup drivers Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr were killed after crashing before the Daytona 500 in 1994.Stuart Kirby of Bowling Green, who has been racing since he was 11, said he knows Adam Pettys death will be on his mind at Nashville Speedway tonight. Adam enjoyed racing and what he was doing, Stuart Kirby said. I am sure everyones thoughts and prayers will be about Adam and his family until we put our helmets on. Thats when you focus on the job at hand, until the race is over. Then it will be on your mind again. The Associated Press contributed information for this story.