Kevin Grubb, a former regular in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, was found dead on Wednesday at a hotel just outside of Richmond, Va., according to a report on ESPN.com. Grubb, of Mechanicsville, Va., was 31 years old. At the time of his death Grubb was suspended from competing in NASCAR sanctioned events because of his refusal to submit to a drug test in September 2006 following an event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Grubb made his Nationwide Series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1997. Grubb was previously suspended in March 2004 for failing a drug test. But he agreed to random testing as part of his reinstatement. Grubb's career began with NASCAR's lower-tier series in 1997. He made 174 Nationwide Series starts from 1997-2006. After two part-time seasons for his family owned team in '97 and '98, Grubb was hired by Brewco Motorsports to compete in the Nationwide Series in 1999. His 13th place finish in the standings for Brewco in 2000 was a career best.
He went to Team Bristol Motorsports for the 2002 season but issues plagued the team and he finished 19th in the standings. In March 2004 Grubbs failed a NASCAR mandated drug test and was suspended indefinitely by the sanctioning body. He was reinstated by NASCAR in 2006 and returned to compete in the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. He made five Nationwide Series starts and four Truck Series starts before he was again suspended by NASCAR. On September 11, 2006 Grubb crashed on the second lap of a Nationwide Series event at Richmond and refused to take a NASCAR mandated drug test after the accident.
