GREENSBORO -- The wife of NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett's crew chief and her two sisters were killed late Wednesday when a pickup struck their limousine after they left the Fleetwood Mac concert.
Tara Howell Parker, 29, of Satilla Drive in Cornelieus, the wife of crew chief Shawn Parker, died about 11:30 p.m. on Interstate 40 near Vanstory Street, Greensboro police said.
Other victims were Megan Elizabeth Howell, 16, of Mr. Henry Road in Mocksville, and Mysti Howell Poplin, 24, of Short Road in Mocksville, Greensboro police report. One of the women is Parker's stepsister and one is a halfsister, although investigators didn't know which was which Thursday morning.
The pickup truck's driver, Jeffrey Niles McFayden, of 4107 Chateau Drive in Greensboro, was charged with driving while impaired and three counts of second-degree murder, police stated. He was held in the Guilford County Detention Center on $300,000 bond.
Tara Parker received a heart transplant two years ago, and she and her husband adopted a baby boy, Jagger, in July, according to a statement from Robert Yates Racing.
Penny Copen, a Jarrett spokeswoman, said that plans are being made to replace Parker as crew chief for Sunday's New Hampshire 300 in Loudon, N.H.
"I can't put into words the grief we feel," Yates said. "We are all in shock right now. All we can do is support Shawn and what he needs to do as well as Tara's family.
"Tara has gone through a lot in the last two years and was really an inspiration to everyone that knew her. Shawn and Tara were new parents and they had a lot of joy in their life. This is absolutely heartbreaking for ... everyone that knew Tara."
Shawn Parker was named crew chief in May for Jarrett's No. 88 Robert Yates Racing team.
The 1998 Lincoln Town Car limousine carring the three sisters was stopped on I-40 west due to congestion from road construction when it was hit by a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by McFayden, rupturing the limousine's gas tank and causing it to explode, police said. The limousine's driver, James Cannady, 42, of New Ellenton, S.C., escaped the flames.
A third car, a 1997 Ford Escort, also was struck in the collision. The driver and passenger in that car were not injured.
Tara Howell Parker, 29, of Satilla Drive in Cornelieus, the wife of crew chief Shawn Parker, died about 11:30 p.m. on Interstate 40 near Vanstory Street, Greensboro police said.
Other victims were Megan Elizabeth Howell, 16, of Mr. Henry Road in Mocksville, and Mysti Howell Poplin, 24, of Short Road in Mocksville, Greensboro police report. One of the women is Parker's stepsister and one is a halfsister, although investigators didn't know which was which Thursday morning.
The pickup truck's driver, Jeffrey Niles McFayden, of 4107 Chateau Drive in Greensboro, was charged with driving while impaired and three counts of second-degree murder, police stated. He was held in the Guilford County Detention Center on $300,000 bond.
Tara Parker received a heart transplant two years ago, and she and her husband adopted a baby boy, Jagger, in July, according to a statement from Robert Yates Racing.
Penny Copen, a Jarrett spokeswoman, said that plans are being made to replace Parker as crew chief for Sunday's New Hampshire 300 in Loudon, N.H.
"I can't put into words the grief we feel," Yates said. "We are all in shock right now. All we can do is support Shawn and what he needs to do as well as Tara's family.
"Tara has gone through a lot in the last two years and was really an inspiration to everyone that knew her. Shawn and Tara were new parents and they had a lot of joy in their life. This is absolutely heartbreaking for ... everyone that knew Tara."
Shawn Parker was named crew chief in May for Jarrett's No. 88 Robert Yates Racing team.
The 1998 Lincoln Town Car limousine carring the three sisters was stopped on I-40 west due to congestion from road construction when it was hit by a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by McFayden, rupturing the limousine's gas tank and causing it to explode, police said. The limousine's driver, James Cannady, 42, of New Ellenton, S.C., escaped the flames.
A third car, a 1997 Ford Escort, also was struck in the collision. The driver and passenger in that car were not injured.
