Drag Racing has lost a great fan and friend today.

Veteran drag racing announcer Brian Olson, 58, of Peru, Ind., passed away sometime during the night on August 2, 2015.

Olson, lead announcer for the Professional Drag Racers Association, had sustained injuries from a motorcycle accident on July 3, 2015. However, Olson was making a positive recovery from the incident.

Olson's passing caught his legion of drag racing fans completely off-guard. He was expected to return to his role as announcer before the end of the 2015 season.

"I never expected this," said coworker and friend Jimmy Biggs, who worked alongside Olson on various PDRA TV projects. "I had just talked to him last night."

Friends and coworkers described  Olson as the kind of friend you'd always wanted to have. He was caring and passionate about drag racing and its community.

"He was absolutely one of the most caring people I've met in my life," said Biggs. "And really, that was no big secret. He never let up when it came to caring about people and letting them know he cared. The man loved everybody. And he was loved back."

Biggs said Olson never met a stranger, and when he did -- did the best he could to impact their lives in a positive manner.

"It used to make me mad when we'd come across a bum on the street, and there was Brian, reaching in his pocket for money," Biggs explained. "I would challenge him and point out that money was going for booze. Brian always responded, 'Then that's on him. But he needed help."

Al Tucci spent as much time as anyone with Olson in the announcing deck. The two initially met at a SUPER CHEVY event, and the two announced an event that would set the stage for what would become one of drag racing announcing's most dynamic duos.

"We definitely worked well off of one another," Tucci said. "We were like the Hall & Oates of announcers, the Milli Vanilli until someone pulled the cord. Brian Olson was a true people person. And we got so wild in our announcing the first time we ever met, he pulled me off to the side and let me know he couldn't do that again because he had aspirations of one day being an NHRA announcer. I told him, 'Sorry, that's just how I roll."

Tucci and Olson together became the early voices of the ADRL.

"Every event we worked together was so much fun -- it was awesome," Tucci said. "Between his knowledge and being a racer, and understanding the equipment, he allowed me to be who I wanted to be. He'd bring up stuff, and before it was said and done, we might be in the floor laughing. We'd laugh so much our guts so much we'd end up hurting. He had the laugh the world would never forget."

Tucci, who has decades in the sport and worked with some of the best announcers in the business, believes there will never be another Brian Olson.

"No disrespect at all to anyone I've ever worked with, but he was the best," Tucci said as a thunderstorm rumbled in the background.

Then Tucci paused and offered, "Hear that? That's Olson looking down and saying, 'You tell 'em, Tucci."

Kathy Fisher, a veteran television host, and the voice of CompetitionPlus.tv said it was Olson who gave her confidence when she was a rookie in the drag racing scene.

"He was the established announcer at the IHRA, and I was just the rookie pit reporter," Fisher said. "He was just so kind to me and made me feel comfortable. He was a true friend. Losing him is so devastating because he touched so many people on so many levels. He was more than just an announcer - he was a friend. I've laughed, cried and done it all today. I guess God needed another announcer. I'll tell you, Heaven got a good one."

Bob Harris, PDRA Race Director, said Olson's passing leaves a hole in the hearts of those who interacted with him at the track.  

"It's going to be a tough four races at the end of the year," Harris said. "We all expected him to be out here with us again. He was more than an announcer; Brian Olson was a friend. He knew everyone. It wasn't difficult to see how much he loved what he did. Drag racing and its people were important to him. His passing is something that will take us a long time to get over. We have lost a member of our family.

"I think the thing Brian made so popular was the hug. That's something I will always remember. It takes a special person to give out hugs the way he did. A lot of people might not have had that kind of affection like he did, but he made it a practice that left you feeling it was the right thing to do."

In the end, during his road to recovery from the accident, Biggs said Olson got to see how much the drag racing community cared for him.

"He got to see just how much people loved him and cared about him -- and I'm not talking about at a funeral," said Biggs. "He got to see that, and it gave him so much inspiration. He always got emotional telling me how it made him feel. He said he never knew how many people loved and cared for him. It touched his heart in a way no one could imagine."

And on this sad day, drag racing fans who remember Olson know all too well the feeling.