Avon – Eric Jason Lane, son of Peggy (Teter) Lane and Lawrence Lane, passed away unexpectedly on October 19 near Mineral Wells, Texas. He was 47 years old.

Eric, known as "Hopsing," was a co-crew chief for Cruz Pedregon's Snap-on Tools Funny Car racing team and a seasoned mechanic in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Racing Association). He began his 22-year racing career with Gary Densham Racing in 1998 after graduating from the Universal Technical Institute in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Eric and Densham's team eventually came under the John Force Racing organization in 2001.  He later worked with crew chief Jimmy Prock under John Force Racing where he was mentored and began gaining the experience needed to become a crew chief.  Eric then started with Don Schumacher racing and assisted with crew chief Rahn Tobler and driver Ron Capps and they went on to win their first championship in 2016.  He later began working as a crew chief at Tasca Racing before joining Cruz Pedregon in 2020.

Eric was born and raised in southern California before racing brought him to Indiana.  He played football at San Dimas High School and was a black belt in karate.  During this time, he helped his grandfather with his plumbing business and provided maintenance for rental properties where he honed his skills in home improvement.

He was outgoing and energetic – full of life and loved by many in the racing community and beyond.  He had the unique ability to foster a close-knit community with the guys and their families from the teams he worked with and the neighborhoods he lived in. He would often say he thought of them as family, a brotherhood, and he treated them that way.

He loved fishing and shooting, and was extremely handy – seemingly able to fix or build anything.  He was incredibly generous with his time – willing to help others in need with large or small projects.  His home was always bustling with activity and laughter – friends and family were often over enjoying meals and drinks together while being entertained by Eric's sense of humor and lively stories.

A loving husband, father to his beautiful little girl of whom was his entire world, and brother, Eric is survived by his wife Kelly, his 6-year old daughter, Melaynee, brother Jimmy Lane, and sister Shannon Dancel.  He is preceded in death by his mother Peggy (Teter) Lane and father Lawrence Lane.  A GoFundMe page has been setup for his family to cover expenses and can be reached at https://www.gofundme.com/f/eric-lane-aka-hopsing .

A funeral service will take place at Eric's church – Avon United Methodist Church in Avon, IN on Thursday, November 5 at 2:00 in the afternoon.  *Masks will be required. For those not able to attend in person, services will be available in a live stream format though the church's website www.avonumc.com .  The link will be available closer to the date of the service. Burial will follow at the West Ridge Park cemetery Indianapolis, IN.