NASCAR's Stewart hits, kills driver on NY track

[Franklin]

Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart struck and killed a sprint car driver who had climbed from his car and was on the darkened dirt track trying to confront Stewart during a race in upstate New York on Saturday night.


Authorities questioned Stewart but said no criminal charges were imminent.

 

[LVSteve]

Authorities questioned Stewart but said no criminal charges were imminent.

We'll see how that works after the police view all the fan video.

 

[Rustyt1953]

His name is Kevin Ward Jr. As bad as Tony must feel, Kevin's family must feel worse. I pray for comfort for both families.

 

[Muss Muggins]

There is a very good video of the incident available on YouTube and several of the news sites. It's pretty graphic, as it shows the entire incident. Hopefully someone has video from a different point of view which will be more definitive.

 

[italiansport]

Condolences to Tony and Ward's family
It's a wild one at Watkins Glen today with a horrific crash(No one was hurt thankfully) and Jeff Gordon losing power. The race is currently red flagged.
Jim

 

[JJEH]

It's a very tragic situation.

 

[rwsmith]

Isn't it rather foolish?????

Isn't it rather foolish to leave a wrecked car on a raceway and stand in the middle of the track admonishing the other drivers? Maybe his accident was someone else's fault but he could have gone outside the track instead of letting his temper control him.

 

[turbo6]

Sad situation and it's going to be hard to truly resolve things legally if charges are indeed filed.

The young man shouldn't have left the car, but he shouldn't have had to pay with his life for doing so.

To be honest, we'll never know if Stewart simply didn't react in time or if he wanted to attempt to injure the kid.

If you follow Nascar at all, Tony has a temper. Did he let it get the best of him this time? If so, its probably something he'll take to the grave.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Muss Muggins]

Only one person in the entire world knows if Tony Stewart intended to hurt that young man last night . . .

 

[mstuhr]

I kinda doubt it

Howdy,
I kinda doubt Tony meant to hurt anyone.
He might have wanted to throw a little mud on him, or give him a little scare.
I watched the video. Tony revs and fishtails right when Ward gets hard to see behind Stewart's car, but was he trying to miss a guy on the track, dressed in black at a night race?
Did the guy jump in a fit of anger as Tony went by and get hit. Did Tony misjudge something in a "lesson" gone horribly wrong?
I just doubt that he tried to hit him.
Prayers to all involved.
Mike

 

[imashooter2]

I hate to say it, but it looks to me like the kid committed suicide. There was a race going on and he tried to stop one of the cars by walking in front of it.

 

[redlevel]

Tony revs and fishtails right when Ward gets hard to see behind Stewart's car

I'm not a race fan and certainly not a Stewart fan. However, I've driven on enough dirt roads to know that when you are "drifting" through a curve, sometimes the only way to straighten out is to add a little throttle. I used to do it with my girlfriend in the car with me on the dirt road on the way to my house very often, showing off a little, and scaring her. '65 Impala.

I understand that the tires on those cars are set up where the throttle is used to steer. My point is that the fact that he added throttle, or revved, is probably not indicative of anything. Certainly not any wrongdoing on Stewart's part.

I would guess a Coroner's Inquest would quickly exonerate him. I would also guess he is probably sorry for building such a reputation as a hothead.

 

[federali]

Road rage

This looks like a classic case of road rage. Whether it was a genuine accident or if the hit was intentional, we will probably never know.

 

[snubbyfan]

Judge for yourself;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlFuHsymTqQ
Any time a person goes out in traffic in the dark, there's a chance of a tragic accident.

 

[LedFowl]

I'm sorry he died, but he should have stayed in his car.

 

[Hohopelli]

That's the deal.. A young man did a stupid thing and payed for it with his life; tragic and senseless..

 

[jdh]

If TS was trying to throw mud on the other driver why did the rear of his car go left when the now pedestrian was on the right side?

The other driver ran into the wall all on his own. There was no contact apparent in the video shone above.

Why the immediate assumption it was intentional? Had the driver been anybody else would the TS haters been as quick to judge?

Damn I am getting so tired of the Let's lynch 'em mentality in this country.

Yes, I have a racing license. No, I would not leave my stricken car unless it was on fire. And then I would be heading over the wall not out on track.

 

[Squarebutt]

Could be that TS never saw the kid until it was too late. Black helmet and firesuit, poor lighting, oil and dirt on his face shield, etc. These cars steer with the throttle, and whipping the wheel to the right and gassing it might have been an attempt to swing the rear end to the left. Unfortunately, the suspensions are built to turn left, and it was not enough. Very sad situation. And no way on earth did TS mean to hit him.

 

[chud333]

My guess is Stewart was just trying to "Buzz" the kid for showing him up and Tony got too close and hit him.
Not buying Stewart did'nt see him.
I also don't think he was trying to kill the kid.
Like stated previously, we'll never know and there will be no charges
forthcoming unless another angle of the crash is discovered.
Stewart is a classic "Hothead" who has always got his way and i never
have cared for him. The kid should not have gotten out of his car but
that's what the fans want to see and puts butts in the stands.
Confrontation and bad blood in racing go hand in hand, sad to say.

Chuck

 

[mtgianni]

That 48 seconds is the most I have ever seen of an auto race, but who would be dumb enough to walk out on a track while a race is on, be it foot, horse or cars?