Shawn "Sheetz" McGarvey was hurt in a work accident on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. McGarvey, 40, was loading his truck with wood beams when he fell and was pinned and died instantly in a freak accident. McGarvey had been racing since the early 1990s, much of the time in the Limited Late Model class. He had won at least 100 feature races in that class and won the #1 Cochran Cavalcade Point title three times, 2001, 2003, and 2005.

In 2007, he moved up to the Late Models and won in May of that year at Dog Hollow driivng the black #55 owned by Tom Gill. In 2008, he drove for Kim Horton both at Dog Hollow and at Thunder Valley, Central PA Speedway and Thunder Mountain. His last win came in October when he drove the black #8H Horton-owned car to a $4,008 victory in the Steel Block Nationals at Central PA.

Shawn will be sadly missed throughout the racing community. Below is a memorial tribute that was put together in his honor. McGarvey is survived by his wife, Patty, and a 14 year old daughter, Kelli. Donations for Kelli's education can be sent to the Northeast Savings Bank in Coalport.