North Carolina
Shige Hattori, Racer And NASCAR Team Owner, Dies In North Carolina Crash
HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 16: Brett Moffitt, driver of the #16 AISIN Group Toyota, crew chief Scott … More
Shigeaki “Shige” Hattori, the Japanese-born racer who made the unlikely journey from open-wheel hopeful to championship-winning NASCAR team owner, was killed Saturday morning in a three-car crash on I-77 northbound in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He was 61.
The accident occurred around 9:15 a.m., just outside of Huntersville — a suburb north of Charlotte and very much in the heart of NASCAR country. According to a release from the Huntersville, NC, police Hattori was behind the wheel of a 2025 Toyota Crown when he crossed the center line and collided with oncoming traffic. The crash remains under investigation, but officials have stated that neither speed nor impairment are believed to have been factors.
The news was confirmed Monday by Hattori Racing Enterprises, the team he founded and led for nearly two decades:
“We are heartbroken to confirm that Shigeaki ‘Shige’ Hattori was pronounced deceased on the morning of Saturday, April 5, in Huntersville, N.C., following a motor vehicle accident. He was 61.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 18: Shigeaki Hattori, driver of the #9 Aisin/Aisin AW Toyota, is … More
“Shige was known for his relentless drive, focus and competitive spirit. Team ownership through HRE and Hattori Motorsports had become both his passion and his life’s work. He had a unique gift to constantly inject a light-hearted attitude and one-of-a-kind sense of humor into his race teams that will never be forgotten. We’ll miss you dearly. Farewell, Shige.”
NASCAR later issued a statement of its own:
“Shigeaki Hattori was a passionate racer and highly successful team owner, but beyond all his team’s statistics – which includes a NASCAR Truck Series championship – Shige was a genuine, beloved member of the garage who worked tirelessly to lift our sport and his people. We are deeply saddened by his tragic passing. NASCAR extends its thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends.”
In a sport that thrives on big personalities and bigger budgets, Hattori was the sort of figure who earned respect the old-fashioned way — through perseverance, hustle, and an unshakable belief that he belonged. And, against the odds, he did more than just belong. He won.
Born in Okayama, Japan, Hattori began his racing career on the open-wheel circuits of his home country before taking a giant leap across the Pacific to chase his dreams in America. He landed in the Indy Lights series in 1995, won twice, and made the climb to CART and the Indy Racing League. His résumé won’t set any speed records — 26 IRL starts, 28 laps led, a best finish of sixth at Texas — but it’s a testament to his tenacity. The man had guts.
Shigeaki Hattori of Japan is helped out of his car after qualifying 19 May 2002 at the Indianapolis … More
In 2004 and 2005, he even tried his hand behind the wheel in NASCAR’s Truck Series — a fish-out-of-water moment for a Japanese driver in what was then a very Southern, very V8 world. But it was team ownership, not driving, where Hattori found his true calling.
In 2008, he founded Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE), a plucky little outfit that over the next 15 years would become a staple of the NASCAR Truck Series garage. The team earned 14 wins in total — many with Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill — but their crowning achievement came in 2018, when Moffitt delivered Hattori his first and only NASCAR championship.
It was an underdog story so improbable it practically begged for a movie adaptation. A Japanese businessman with a Formula Nippon background, running Toyotas in NASCAR, taking on the juggernauts like ThorSport and Kyle Busch Motorsports — and winning. Not with flashy sponsors or million-dollar facilities, but with razor-sharp strategy, solid engineering, and one very determined team owner at the helm.
Hattori’s approach was all heart and hustle. He wasn’t just calling the shots from the hauler — he was hands-on, sleeves-up, and fluent in every facet of racing life. Those who worked with him speak not just of his racing mind, but his humor, his warmth, and a work ethic that bordered on legendary.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 18: Shigeaki Hattori, driver of the Aisin/Aisin AW Toyota, poses for a … More
In many ways, Shige Hattori was the embodiment of the American dream — not because he was born here, but because he arrived with nothing and still managed to climb to the top of one of America’s toughest sports. He came to race, he stayed to build, and he left a legacy.
Motorsports, like life, doesn’t always reward the most deserving. But for once, in 2018, it did. Shige got his championship. And now, tragically, it’s time to say goodbye to a man who lived for racing — and, more than most, helped redefine what it meant to be a racer in America.
And now he’s gone. Taken not by a wall at Daytona or a mechanical failure at 200 mph, but by the same random, cruel chaos that takes too many lives on American roads every day.
Godspeed, Shige.
CHARLOTTE, NC (WCNC) – North Carolina is becoming a leader in artificial intelligence adoption among businesses – ranking ninth in the nation, according to a new LendingTree report. Over 22% of businesses in the state already utilize AI, with many more planning to incorporate it in the near future.
“I’m not surprised at all that North Carolina ranks high on the list in part because it’s a tech-forward state,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst with LendingTree. “There is a lot of financial institutions in that state and no one should be surprised that NC is on the cutting edge with using AI in businesses.”
The report also sheds light on the implications of AI for the workforce. Generative AI usage makes up around 85% of overall AI business usage. Most companies are using the technology for repetitive tasks such as summarizing information, analyzing data, drafting content, or assisting with customer service.
Large companies are leading the way in AI usage. Businesses with over 250 employees use AI at a rate of 37.3% while companies with fewer than five employees use AI at a rate of 19%.
Charles Gaddy was tuna fishing with his dad on Sunday, more than 40 miles northeast of Oregon Inlet, when he saw something he’d never seen before.
“I was just looking in the water, seeing if, you know, any birds or anything, and I see this big gray fish with white dots,” said Gaddy. “Just from reading books and watching movies as a kid, I was like, ‘that’s got to be a whale shark.’”
The 18-year-old said they circled it. He grabbed his GoPro camera and started recording.
“It’s just sitting there, swimming beside us. It really, truly was amazing,” said Gaddy.
Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish. They’re currently listed as endangered by the Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In the Western Atlantic, whale sharks are primarily found in the Gulf and throughout the Caribbean, according to Eric Hoffmayer, a research fishing biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. He said they’ve seen numerous whale sharks make their way up the Gulf Stream, ending up in the New England area in late summer and early fall.
“We had an animal last year that we tagged off Tampa and within a month was off New York, and cruised right past North Carolina about this time of year,” said Hoffmayer. “It’s not unheard of, but it’s not real common either.”
Gaddy recognized how lucky he was to experience a sighting.
“To be able to see one in person, especially locally, it’s very truly amazing,” said Gaddy. “It’s no doubt a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m no doubt very blessed.”
If you do encounter a whale shark in the wild, Hoffmayer said, you need to be careful if you’re in a boat because they spend a lot of time at the surface. If you get in the water, keep a safe distance.
“Most people I’ve talked to who have encountered whale sharks, it’s like a life-changing experience,” said Hoffmayer. “It’s really cool to see an animal that large in the wild doing its thing.”
You can report whale shark sightings to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Fisheries Research and Development. If you’re able to capture a good picture of a whale shark, you can see if it matches one already in a database by uploading the photo and information about the sighting online.
OMAHA, Neb. — The championship series is set. And without a doubt, the two hottest teams, North Carolina and Oklahoma, are paired to play for a national title at the College World Series.
There was no backing into the finals for these squads, one that looked like a contender all season and one that did not until two weeks ago.
North Carolina (53-12-1) and Oklahoma (41-22) swept through opposite brackets at Charles Schwab Field. UNC punctuated its three-game run with a 12-7 victory Wednesday against West Virginia. OU followed by defeating Georgia, the regular-season and postseason SEC champ, 11-4.
Iconic brands in college sports, the Tar Heels and Sooners will meet Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in the opening game of a best-of-three series.
North Carolina seeks its first national championship in baseball. It lost in the finals in 2006 and 2007. Oklahoma has won two crowns, most recently in 1994, and it lost in the finals in 2022.
LET’S PLAY FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/588pVssfOR
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 18, 2026
“It really hasn’t set in yet,” said UNC second baseman Gavin Gallaher, who was 4 for 5 on Wednesday with four RBIs. “After the game, we shook hands, and I was just kind of walking around, looking up in the stands, looking at my family, just kind of speechless, to be honest.”
The Tar Heels were seeded fifth in the 64-team field announced on Memorial Day. In Omaha, they have not trailed by more than one run — and for just three innings. North Carolina’s pitching staff, on maximum rest during its stay in Omaha, is set up well for the weekend.
Junior ace starter Jason DeCaro, who worked 6 2/3 innings Friday, enters the championship series in position to start the opener. Star freshman Caden Glauber, who was needed for 2 1/3 innings Wednesday afternoon as WVU mounted a comeback, has thrown only 54 pitches in the CWS. The Tar Heels are 28-0 this year when Glauber appears in a game. He’s won 11 decisions without a loss.
Sixth-year coach Scott Forbes took over in 2021 for Mike Fox, who brought North Carolina to the CWS seven times. Bids for a first national title fell short in 2006 and 2007 against Oregon State in the championship series.
Forbes joined Fox’s staff before that 2006 season as a 31-year-old pitching coach.
“I’m trying not to get emotional,” Forbes said, “just thinking about that team and Coach Fox giving me the opportunity. I wasn’t the popular hire at the time. There were a lot bigger names. I had never been a pitching coach. But Coach Fox saw something in me and gave me that opportunity.”
Oklahoma returns to the championship series for the second time in five years. It lost to Ole Miss in 2022. The Rebels that year were the first team to win a championship with a losing record in conference play.
OU is attempting to become the second.
Coach Skip Johnson’s team finished 14-16 in the SEC and lost four consecutive league series to close the regular season. But the Sooners clawed back in Regional play, winning two elimination games at Georgia Tech, the No. 2 overall seed.
OU swept Kansas in a Super Regional and beat SEC foes Alabama and Georgia before it won the rematch Wednesday night against the Bulldogs.
The Sooners remade their pitching rotation in the postseason to ride three true freshmen: left-hander Cord Rager, a season-long starter, Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski. The latter duo had combined to start four games this season before they both beat the Bulldogs, who came to Omaha with the most powerful lineup in college baseball.
Wesloski fired 5 2/3 innings Wednesday and struck out four, one off his career high.
Rager and Mercurius have inspired Wesloski, he said.
“Seeing the way they dominated and they carry themselves,” he said, “those guys are just elite. Watching them go about their process has made me a better pitcher. Those guys look unstoppable, unbeatable. It’s added to my confidence level. They influence me a ton.”
OU got hot at the plate, too. In eliminating Georgia, it homered five times, including two apiece by Jason Walk and Dasan Harris. Before Wednesday, Walk had hit four bombs in 200 at-bats; Harris had four in 137 at-bats.
Twenty-five of Oklahoma’s 90 home runs this year have come in 10 postseason games.
It pays to get hot at the right time.
“You’re looking at a baseball team, a selfless baseball team that’s really fun to be around,” said Johnson, the ninth-year OU coach. “Hopefully, I can just stay out of the way the next two or three games.”
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