Popular Kentucky Drag Racer Killed In Boating Accident

Popular Northern Kentucky area drag racer and businessman Art McMahan tragically lost his life on Friday in a boating accident that occurred on Georgia’s Lake Lanier, just ahead of the Pirates of Lanier Charity Poker Run held over the weekend. McMahan, 46, along with his wife Michelle, 45, and friends Anthony and Tammy Reece, both age 44, were all killed in the crash. The bodies were recovered during extensive searches of the lake and its banks on Saturday and Sunday.

am1The 38-foot Skater powerboat, owned by McMahan, reportedly went airborne and crashed in an incident that authorities believe may have been caused by excessive speed.

McMahan, from Mount Washington, Kentucky, has been a well-liked and polarizing figure in racing circles for years, competing in many of the early OSCA series races in the Midwest with a range of race cars. Most recently, McMahan had campaigned a turbocharged 1968 Camaro and a supercharged 1957 Chevrolet Pro Modified car, and had also acquired a screw-blown Pro Extreme Camaro in late 2015. Earlier this year, he purchased the X275 Mustang formerly driven by Jack Vanover, and had also assumed ownership of the Lake Cumberland Dragway in Kentucky.

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McMahan, described by friends on social media and in local television interviews as one who would do anything for anyone, with a larger than life personality, operated a contracting business by day and lived the fast life by night, with a fleet of motorcycles, powerboats, race and muscle cars, offroad vehicles, and trucks in his collection. Services for the McMahan’s are scheduled for Friday in Mount Washington.

“Our parents meant the world to us, we never realized how much impact they had on people’s lives. They both were such amazing, loving and caring parents, grandparents, children, siblings and friends to so many. They were one of a kind and will truly be missed,” the family said in a prepared statement.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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