Tony Stewart hits & kills Sprint car driver

[johniew398]

http://jalopnik.com/driver-kevin-ward-jr-reprotedly-killed-in-incident-wi-1618923260

[whitebeard]

Video is not suitable for kids. No gore, just a side view of incident.

If he had stayed in the car.......

[LifeIsGood]

...time for Tony to lawyer up...it looks like he was trying to spray the guy and it went terribly wrong...my opinion.

[XSnake]

You NEVER get out of your car on a race track unless it's on fire.

[Drummerviper]

I doubt he will be charged but civil action is going to be huge unless they can settle quickly , maybe with NASCAR's help. It is a mess for the sport that was picking up steam. Neither NASCAR nor his team wanted him doing these races.

I spent 20 years in NASCAR and there were similar incidents. (Elliotts tire changer) Obviously, Stewart was not trying to hit him, but they will say he could have easily avoided him and was trying to be a wise guy. Horrible for boh sides.

[Leslie]

They have reported he was already breaking under the caution flag and was going 40mph. I do know those cars require a lot of throttle steering. He definitely wasn't accelerating.
I don't think any driver could have avoided someone on the track

[johniew398]

Lots of opinions on this but facts are:

Sheriff says the driver in front of Stewart had to swerve to avoid Ward.

Ward is hot and looking for revenge. No one would normally get out of the car and walk down on the track while cars are still running.

Ward was wearing a black suit definitely making it hard to see him.

Only Stewart knows if he could have avoided him or if he did something to cause this.

I agree with Leslie: would have been hard for any driver to avoid someone on the track especially if you weren't expecting it.

[v10enomous]

Watch the motion Ward makes at the car in front of Stewart. Has anyone ever seen someone try to stop a car by jumping in front of it. That's exactly what that looked like. He clearly wanted to stop Stewart to have a physical altercation. Watch how he's even pointing the way you would if you want to fight someone.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJcl8R2OAnE

[ViperSmith]

Could Stewart avoided hitting him? Who knows, I seriously doubt even a hothead like Stewart would try and scare someone like that. The likely explanation is, Stewart hadn't a clue Ward was standing in the middle of a race track.

That is the important thing here, he was standing in the middle of a race track with cars flying around him pointing his finger. He ignored every single safety rule in place and he paid the ultimate price. The rules are there for a reason - to help keep you alive. He played chicken with a one ton vehicle and lost.

It is sad. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it ruins Stewart's career - if anything his confidence. He'll have to relive it all every day of his life - "What could I have done differently."

[ViperTony]

Aren't race car drivers supposed to stay in the car....

[Drummerviper]

Aren't race car drivers supposed to stay in the car....

Yes. And these tracks are not lit like NASCAR tracks.

[daveg]

I grew up on Dirt (clay) tracks, Orange county in New York to name just one.. I would NEVER get out of a car especially at night on a Dirt track.. Poorly lit, in a black suite with dust flying around... ...
I feel for the family.

[Janni]

I wish I had not watched that. It's a terrible tragedy for EVERYONE - Tony included - as racers simply don't try to hurt other racers with their cars. yeah - they will throw a punch and mouth off - but overall - each one of them would do just about anything for the other when necessary. So terrible.

[VYPR BYT]

The lighting at night on dirt makes some things more difficult to see due to the fact some objects are lost in the shadows.
Unless you've done it you may not know what I mean. Even dirtbike racing as a kid you'll know what it's like.
Visibilty doesn't have the depth it has in daylight... and things just come upon you quicker.
Sad

[Vprbite]

As much as tony stewart is known as a cry baby and a total prick, that doesn't make him a murderer. I would argue that the jump from thinking "that young driver needs to watch his mouth/learn some respect" to "that young driver needs killed" is a pretty big jump. So, doubtful he intended to murder him in my eyes. Did he intend to "buzz" him real close? I could see that from some drivers. Like anyone at the top level of whatever they compete at, sometimes they believe themselves to be capable of anything. Perhaps he believed himself capable of buzzing him within an inch, even on dirt, in the dark, with a moving target. Yes it's wildly inappropriate. Super unsafe. Sorta like a linebacker trying to injure a rookie quarterback. Most people in the league would consider that way out of line. But it still happens on occasion. Most drivers would consider buzzing someone to be crossing the line as you wouldn't want them to do that to you.

I feel like I wouldn't be walking towards a car on the track, even if someone needed punched in the mouth. That isn't the time.

At best this is a confluence of really unfortunate events and is very, very sad. But it only gets more sinister from there. I think his reputation is totally working against him. Even if he really didn't see him at all and tried to avoid him when he finally saw him, people will never fully believe him. I don't know if I do. Perhaps the best thing we can do is try and learn from it.

[LeadfootRT10]

In case anyone was wondering, the photo below was taken from inside a sprint car, the type of car they were racing that night. This is the view Tony had that night, just reduce the light and put a figure dressed in black in that slot and there is no way Tony or anybody could have accurately pinpointed his location and avoided hitting him. And if you watch the video, the car in front of Tony, the white and blue, has to swerve to miss Ward. Tony was only a few yards behind, it's not unreasonable to believe that by the time Tony saw him, he could not maneuver the car on the slippery dirt track fast enough to avoid him.

http://i.imgur.com/XakhmBv.jpg

[Space Truckin]

Perspective....

[Joel]

SCCA tells you NOT to get out the car unless directed to do so by safety personnel or unless there is a fire!


Aren't race car drivers supposed to stay in the car....

[ViperTony]

SCCA tells you NOT to get out the car unless directed to do so by safety personnel or unless there is a fire!

Yes, I was being sarcastic. ;)

[Joel]

This was not a response to your quote but just common sense and safety rules that most sanctioning bodies enforce. Of course fans love that type of crap and NASCAR encourages it. If you saw the race on Sunday you know what I mean. Five laps of caution for a flat tire? Ridiculous and no other racing body would have done that - probably just a local yellow flag. With NASCAR it is all about the show.


Yes, I was being sarcastic. ;)

[Late Apex]

As I expected Nascar just announced a new rule prohibiting drivers getting out of their car on track because of this. I firmly believe the family will file suit against Tony in an effort to get some monetary assets. Civil, wrongful death, or other but it will be all about the attorneys and the jury as to any positive decision for the family. Will be interesting and Im sure Tony's future in Nascar is on the way out via retirement soon IMO.