According to the Associated Press this afternoon, “Two men were killed when their car crashed and caught fire at the California Speedway, authorities said.

Benjamin Miles Keaton, 39, and his passenger, Corey Nicholas Rudl, 34, both of La Jolla, died Thursday when Keaton’s 2005 Porsche Carrera GT left the track and slammed into a barrier. The engine compartment then caught fire, according to a sheriff’s report.

Rudl was pronounced dead at the scene. Keaton was airlifted to Loma Linda University Hospital, where he died about an hour later, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

The accident occurred while the track was being rented by the San Diego chapter of the Ferrari Owners Club.

The men are the fourth and fifth fatalities at California Speedway since it opened in 1997.”

Corey has long been a mainstay in the affiliate marketing space with his Internet Marketing Center.

In addition to being a frequent speaker at marketing events, Corey put out a number of software programs for marketers, including AssocTrac, which powered affiliate programs.

I had the privilege of introducing him when he spoke at Affiliate Force back in March 2000 in Miami, and he was quite a dynamic speaker.

RIP Corey.