NASCAR Pit Crew Member William "Rowdy" Harrell and His Wife Killed in Car Crash On Their Honeymoon

NASCAR fans are mourning the loss of a Hendrick Motorsports pit crew member.

According to the sports team, William "Rowdy" Harrell, 30, and his wife, Blakley Harrell, 23, tragically passed away after being killed in a car crash accident in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

The couple was reportedly in the Florida Keys area celebrating their honeymoon, which came just three days after they tied the knot.

Per NBC Sports, who obtained a preliminary report from the Florida Highway Patrol, William was driving a Toyota Corolla that was headed north on U.S. 1 (a highway with only two lanes). The report indicated that William drove across the center line and into the southbound lane at about 9:40 p.m. ET. A pickup truck tried to avoid William's car by veering onto the shoulder. However, the vehicles collided, per the report.

E! News has reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for our own report and have yet to receive a response.

Following the tragedy, Hendrick Motorsports expressed their heartache over William and Blakley's loss.

"Our entire team is absolutely devastated at the loss of Rowdy and Blakley," Greg Ives, Hendrick Motorsports' crew chief, said in a statement on the team website. "They were such positive, giving and passionate people who could not have been a more perfect match."

"Rowdy had an energetic and infectious personality. He was the heart and soul of our team and always kept us motivated, no matter the circumstance," the statement continued. "Rowdy shared his love with the people around him and was loved in return. Although he will be greatly missed, his memory will continue to inspire us always."

In closing, Ives shared, "Our prayers are with Rowdy, Blakley and their wonderful family."

Along with the statement, the team took to Twitter with a heartfelt message that read, "He was the heart and soul of our team."

In light of the couple's death, NASCAR also issued a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Harrell and @TeamHendrick family," a message read on Twitter.

Driver Alex Bowman, who recently worked with William, shared, "Rowdy was everything that made the 88 team, the 88 team. The biggest personality and the best person. He was the happiest person you'd ever meet, and that was only reenforced [sic] by his wife Blakley. Rip to an absolute legend. You'll be missed every single day brother."

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nascar-pit-crew-member-william-190236652.html

Hong Kong's Leader Says She Relies On 'Piles Of Cash' Because Of U.S. Sanctions

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said in an interview Saturday that she has no bank account and relies upon “piles of cash” for her finances because of U.S. sanctions against the city.

Lam told the Hong Kong International Business Channel that she had “no banking services made available to her” and mused — perhaps facetiously — that it was a unique distinction to be in such a position.

“I’m using cash every day,” Lam said. She added: “I have piles of cash at home. The government is paying me cash for my salary, because I don’t have a bank account. I don’t want to sort of deter people from serving in a public position, because it’s very honorable in this set of circumstances to be so unjustifiably sanctioned by the U.S. government. It’s an honor.”

The U.S. sanctioned Lam and other senior members of Hong Kong’s local government because of a controversial national security law passed in June.

The national security law superseded local laws of Hong Kong, which is a semi-autonomous city technically beholden to mainland China but with its own government and constitution. Beijing has used the law to crack down on pro-democracy protesters who have been a regular presence in Hong Kong’s streets since last year.

“The People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong-based officials continue to dismantle the promised autonomy and freedoms of Hong Kong through politically motivated arrests,” and the sanctions were designed to rectify this, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued earlier this month.

Lam’s popularity plummeted after her appointment as chief executive in 2017 largely because of her mishandling of Hong Kong’s protest movement. She called the sanctions inconvenient in August but added that her administration was honored to uphold the national security law.

Even without a bank account, Lam still receives an annual salary of about HK$5.21 million — more than $672,000 — which is more than President Donald Trump’s salary of about $400,000. That makes her one of the highest-paid leaders in the world.

Her statements about cash earned little sympathy from Hong Kong Twitter users.

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/carrie-lam-cash-us-sanctions-hong-kong-191119459.html