An ailing former NASCAR driver mourns the death of close family member

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It’s only been a few weeks since John Andretti publicly revealed that he is battling Stage 4 colon cancer. Now, he has even more heartbreaking news to share.

On Thursday, May 25, the veteran racer and 12-time competitor in the Indy 500 tweeted out news that his wife, Nancy, had lost her father.

RELATED: The racing community is heartbroken over this former NASCAR driver’s diagnosis

He writes, “Our family has suffered a tragic loss today with the passing of the kindest man that I have ever known, my father-in-law, Carl Summers.”

John didn’t go too deep into detail regarding Carl’s passing, but he does want fans to know that his family means the world to him. He especially doesn’t want to see his wife and kids heartbroken.

In fact, the 54-year-old husband and father of three says he was upset when doctors diagnosed him with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in January, because his family has to think about how the cancer could’ve been prevented.

“It was something that didn’t need to happen,” John tells FOX Sports reporter Adam Alexander, “Here I am in this condition and I didn’t need to be like this. This is so easily preventable. Now I’m one step from as bad as you can get.”

“My family has to deal with that,” he continues, “They have to think about it. They stress over it. It’s really unfair to them. That’s been the hardest part for me honestly. I just hate for them to suffer.”

RELATED: A former NASCAR driver issues a statement concerning his heartbreaking cancer diagnosis

In June, John will undergo surgery on his liver and his spleen. But, in the meantime, he is dedicating his time to saving others by passing the word on about the importance of getting screened. John started using the hashtag #CheckIt4Andretti to encourage others to get a colonoscopy before it’s too late.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John and his family for their loss and for his uphill battle at this time.

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