SANFORD, Fla. -- The pilot and co-pilot killed in the Sanford plane crash, Tuesday, were both affiliated with NASCAR. Michael Klemm, 56, was a pilot with NASCAR aviation. Dr. Bruce Kennedy, 54, who was flying the plane, was married to Lesa France Kennedy, president of the International Speedway Corporation.

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VIDEO: NASCAR Mourns Deaths In Sanford Crash

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Bruce Kennedy was also the son-in-law of the late Bill France, Jr., who was NASCAR’s longtime chairman.

Three days ago, Daytona International Speedway hosted its first race since the death of NASCAR’s leader, Bill France, Jr. Now, NASCAR and the France family have been hit again with the news it was a NASCAR plane involved in Tuesday’s crash.

In the hours after the crash, the NASCAR hangar at the Daytona Beach International Airport was alive with activity. Police and sheriff units guarded the entrance, while jets arrived at the hangar, and numerous people, many emotional, made their way in and out of the offices.

The county sheriff talked to Eyewitness News just after visiting the France family.

"It's somber, very natural, very sad, very hard day for them. They've lost a family member and it’s actually two family members, because NASCAR is a family,” said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.

NASCAR confirmed that Dr. Bruce Kennedy, husband to Speedway Corporation President Lesa France Kennedy, was piloting the plane, along with NASCAR pilot Michael Klemm.

NASCAR didn’t say, Tuesday, why Kennedy was flying the plane, but Channel 9 learned he just received his commercial pilot's license in May.

NASCAR released a statement about the crash: "It is clear that numerous families were affected by this terrible tragedy and unfortunately several people were deceased or seriously injured. Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with all of those who were involved in this tragic accident and their families."

Neither NASCAR nor the Speedway Corporation directly own the plane involved, but a company called Competitor Liaison Bureau does. It lists NASCAR headquarters as its address and is headed up by France family members.