The highly respected NASCAR crew member passed away earlier this month, and there has been an outpouring of tributes from those within the industry as they remember Zach Yager.
Yager was a veteran on pit road, working as a jackman, tire carrier, and even fueler throughout his career. He worked with various teams throughout his 10+ years in the sport, including Richard Childress Racing, RFK Racing, and Team Penske.
However, his greatest achievement came with JTG Daugherty Racing (now Hyak Motorsports), winning the 2023 Daytona 500 as part of the pit crew for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s No. 47 car.
Most recently, he worked with RSS Racing in the Xfinity Series and ThorSport Racing in the Truck Series.
For this weekend's race at Darlington, RFK has placed a tribute decal on their Cup cars in remembrance of Yager, saying in a social media post: "Our hearts are heavy this week with the passing of one of our friends and former teammates, Zach Yager. Zach was a true athlete of the sport and a friend to many in the NASCAR family. In honor of Zach, our No. 17 car will carry a tribute decal this week in Darlington. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and loved ones as we remember him together. Rest easy, Yager."
ThorSport has done the same, creating a special decal and posting the following message: "This weekend all four ThorSport trucks will carry a memorial sticker in honor of our teammate and friend, Zachary Yager. We are deeply saddened by Zach’s unexpected passing. He was a vital part of our pit crew family - serving in many roles over the years, most recently as Jackman on the No. 88. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and community as we remember and honor him together. Zach will be missed."
Cup star Chris Buescher and Xfinity Series regular Ryan Sieg were among those who posted touching messages as they pay tribute to Yager and his life.
Heavy emotions realizing we lost a wonderful person last week. Yager was such a good dude, super respectful, and just kind to my family and our racing family through the years. It was a pleasure racing and winning together. You will be missed sir pic.twitter.com/aYhCyd7anW
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) August 26, 2025
We are devastated at the loss of a member of the 39 team and the NASCAR family, Zachary Yager. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/cEOcsndBmz
— Ryan Sieg Racing (@RyanSiegRacing) August 26, 2025
