 Well, as we reported yesterday, Jed Copham, owner of Brainerd International Raceway, has died in a boating accident in Florida at the age of 46. Tonight, we have more local reaction. According to a release, Copham had been swimming from his parents' boat Sunday near Fort Myers when he went missing. The search and rescue teams recovered his body Monday morning. Jed and his wife bought Brainerd International Raceway in 2006, just 10 days before the Lucas Oil and HRA Nationals, which is the singest, largest race at BIR each year. The racing community lost their best friend, and he truly was the driving force for a lot of people getting into this sport and continuing in this sport. We say a lot. It's a family, and Jed wanted it that way, and that's the way it was, and it still is to this day because of Jed. Copham was a passionate racer and a popular figure at BIR with fans and racers alike. During his ownership, he improved the track and safety systems. According to friends, his greatest achievement was building a section of track that allowed the Raceway to offer road and drag racing simultaneously. Copham will be remembered for his impact on BIR, Brainerd, and the racing community. He didn't seem like an owner here. He was, like I said, another racer, a friend, another buddy to hang out with to come and look forward to hang out with at the track. BIR holds so much to so many different people for so many different reasons, and that is because of Jed. Copham is survived by his wife, Christy, two children, and his parents, Dave and Cheryl Copham. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.