Barry Boes, the Trans-Am Series’ reigning Pro/Am Challenge champion and Stadium Super Trucks alumnus, died Monday when his plane crashed. He was 54 years old.

His 2021 Lancair Super Barracuda crashed into a wooded area in Lafayette County, Arkansas, at roughly 9:30 PM. An Arkansas State Police helicopter spotted the wreckage at 3:30 AM the next morning and first responders arrived by 5:15 AM. Boes, the only person in the aircraft, was pronounced dead.

He had been flying from Austin, Texas, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“ASP has turned the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will lead efforts to determine the cause of the crash,” reads a statement from the Arkansas State Police. “The deceased will be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for determination of the manner and cause of death.”

The head of Accio Data, Boes began racing in 2018 in Spec Miatas with NASA and SCCA. A year later, he won the 2019 Hoosier SCCA Super Tour GT2 title, participated in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, and made his Trans-Am debut in TA2.

In 2020, Boes entered the SST weekend at Road America. Driving the #32 truck with Accio as his sponsor, he qualified sixth before placing eighth and seventh in the two evens. His Race 1 was hampered by a spin into the sand shortly after the final restart, while Race 2 was a clean affair.

While he didn’t return to SST in the five years since, his focus remained on running Accio and competing in Trans-Am. He won the 2024 Pro/Am title with seven wins in 12 races. Boes was also leading the class’ standings at the time of his death with two wins at Sonoma and Road America, while his last race was a fourth at Watkins Glen in July.

“We are heartbroken over the loss of Barry Boes,” Trans-Am Series president Andy Lally stated. “I admired his intensity and determination to make himself a better driver at every level of the game, and he was accomplishing exactly that. He has been an incredible presence in our paddock, and his discipline and work ethic were unmatched. We will miss his winning desire and sportsmanship, and we are proud to remember him as a champion in our series.”

Barry Boes: March 8, 1971 – August 18, 2025

Featured image credit: Stadium Super Trucks