SARASOTA, Fla. — Bill Lee started training 24-year-old Kat Moller drag racing techniques when she was a child.
"She was such a role model and she was so inspirational,” said Lee.
RELATED: 24-year-old drag racer killed in crash during exhibition run at Sebring International Raceway
He couldn’t believe when he received a phone call on Thursday night about her death.
Highlands County Deputies said Moller crashed her vehicle during an exhibition run on Thursday night.
Moller was reportedly driving a jet dragster at Sebring International Raceway at the time of the crash. A jet car is a car propelled by a jet engine.
Moller was making her first run in the car at Sebring’s regular drag racing event.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, and investigators are asking any spectators who were in attendance and recorded Moller’s run to call the Criminal Investigation Unit at 863-402-7250.
Moller, who went by the nickname Kat, was a regular and very popular racer at local short tracks, and a driver for Larsen Motorsports in the jet dragster. She was in her fifth season with Larsen.
"She was trained properly, something freaky had to happen, I just pray it happened quickly," said Lee.
Lee said the Tampa Bay area racing community plans to honor her memory.
