'Horrific': Sheriff Questions Rally After Sports Car Rolls At 140MPH, Killing Two

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A rural Colorado sheriff criticized a sports car rally for endangering his county's citizens following high-speed crash that killed two members of the event Thursday.

The two men, whose identities have not yet been released, died when their vehicle left the roadway 15 miles west of Norwood. The car was traveling at least 140 mph, the sheriff stated in a Twitter message. It jumped a fence and rolled several times. The driver was ejected.

While offering his condolences to the families and friends of the two men who died, San Miguel Sheriff Bill Masters wrote in the social media message that the crash "was a preventable incident. And I don't appreciate what amounts to reckless and intentional disregard for the people of our county. They could have killed an innocent motorist. Crown Rally needs to re-think what they're doing out on the roads."

Highway 141 was initially closed by the sheriff's office around 3 p.m. Thursday.

Crown Rally West left Denver Wednesday morning, as seen in the group's Facebook post. Dozens of vehicles paraded along 14th Avenue within sight of the State Capitol in clouds of colorful smoke.

The car apparently involved in the crash is seen one minute and 15 seconds into the video.

Crown Rally West is a five-day drive with scheduled overnight stops in Beaver Creek, Santa Fe, Scottsdale, and Las Vegas. It ends at a private track, the Spring Mountain Motor Resort, on Sunday.

On its website, the Crown Rally organization also offers Crown Rally North in August (Minnesota to Wisconsin) and Crown Rally South (Illinois to Georgia) in October. The events cater to owners of "sports, luxury, and exotic cars."

Friday morning, the group posted a response to the incident.