Tony Stewart/Kevin Ward Jr.

[cincrazy]

What a tragic accident in upstate New York a few nights ago.

I've long believed that Tony Stewart is an arrogant a-hole, but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that he would purposefully hit a guy on purpose in front of a grandstand full of people. I don't believe that's feasible.

However, was he trying to scare the kid and get close to him, and accidentally take him out? Although I'm not sure that's the case, it's easier to believe. For those of you that dabble in law or know more about this than I do, can Stewart face serious charges if this is determined to be the case?

Personally, I think that Tony just didn't see him. The car in front of Stewart had to swerve to miss the guy at the last second (as the driver attested to after the race), and I don't think Tony saw him until it was too late. So awful that Ward died, but getting out of his car and charging like a mad man onto the track (whether it's a caution lap or not) is incredibly dangerous and playing with fire.

Also, those sprint cars aren't exactly normal cars. Doesn't look like you could have a good view of things side to side.

Any other thoughts or opinions on this?

[powersackers]

I think I know what likely happended. After reading tons of real life racers opinions and watching it in super slow mo.

Tony held his line under caution and I guarantee he saw him hundreds of feet away. The kid just kept coming and stepped into Tony ' s right front tire and it pulled him into the much larger rear tire. That sprint car has 800 hp and the rpms of both tires just flung him to death. You can see the front tires jolt right at the moment Wards leg hit the right front. Tony would not turn into him and I say could not have done the subtle yet quick turn himself for various reasons.

The victim just got too close and Tony and the car really can't turn or avoid it with out a gas and brake combo that it takes to turn one of those cars quickly enough on dirt.

[Slyder]

What a tragic accident in upstate New York a few nights ago.

I've long believed that Tony Stewart is an arrogant a-hole, but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that he would purposefully hit a guy on purpose in front of a grandstand full of people. I don't believe that's feasible.

However, was he trying to scare the kid and get close to him, and accidentally take him out? Although I'm not sure that's the case, it's easier to believe. For those of you that dabble in law or know more about this than I do, can Stewart face serious charges if this is determined to be the case?

Personally, I think that Tony just didn't see him. The car in front of Stewart had to swerve to miss the guy at the last second (as the driver attested to after the race), and I don't think Tony saw him until it was too late. So awful that Ward died, but getting out of his car and charging like a mad man onto the track (whether it's a caution lap or not) is incredibly dangerous and playing with fire.

Also, those sprint cars aren't exactly normal cars. Doesn't look like you could have a good view of things side to side.

Any other thoughts or opinions on this?

Also he was wearing a dark suit, late evening/early night. Not exactly the most visible thing among the other dozens of cars. I agree my money is that Tony never saw him and this is more of a story because of Tony's reputation.

[WVRedsFan]

I think I know what likely happended. After reading tons of real life racers opinions and watching it in super slow mo.

Tony held his line under caution and I guarantee he saw him hundreds of feet away. The kid just kept coming and stepped into Tony ' s right front tire and it pulled him into the much larger rear tire. That sprint car has 800 hp and the rpms of both tires just flung him to death. You can see the front tires jolt right at the moment Wards leg hit the right front. Tony would not turn into him and I say could not have done the subtle yet quick turn himself for various reasons.

The victim just got too close and Tony and the car really can't turn or avoid it with out a gas and brake combo that it takes to turn one of those cars quickly enough on dirt.

You are correct, sir. Totally. As I've recounted elsewhere, I had a long conversation with Tony in January. He's tough on the outside and a ***** cat on the inside. I was recovering from my surgery for a broken ankle and Tony was recovering from his much worse broken leg, but we both had the same problems--constant swelling, pain, and walking with a noticeable limp. We got along well. He's not so much an a-hole as he seems, but more like a guy who has an image and will do what he has to so that image lives. Earnhardt was the same way. Tony did not do that on purpose, but I'll guarantee the headlines that say "Tony Stewart Kills Driver" will haunt him forever.

[cumberlandreds]

I don't know much at all about racing but I do know it was incredibly stupid for Ward to be on the track like he was. I'm sure he lost his temper and he paid the ultimate price for it. You have to give Stewart the benefit of a doubt unless you see proof that he went out of his way to hit him. I haven't seen that. If he has any sensitivity at all, this will haunt him the rest of his life. I feel bad for Stewart for that reason.

[RedFanAlways1966]

I do not understand why people would even ask, "Did Stewart do it on purpose?" Seriously. Why would a guy like Tony Stewart do something this heinous and stupid? Not happening. But I sort of understand when we live in the world of ESPN (and others) with all their hot air and BS. With big mouths like Dan Le Batard getting viewers/listeners to buy into their crap. Stop, allow common sense and logic to weed out LeBatard and his ilk, then ask yourself, "Did Tony Stewart hit Ward on purpose?"

[reds44]

I do not understand why people would even ask, "Did Stewart do it on purpose?" Seriously. Why would a guy like Tony Stewart do something this heinous and stupid? Not happening. But I sort of understand when we live in the world of ESPN (and others) with all their hot air and BS. With big mouths like Dan Le Batard getting viewers/listeners to buy into their crap. Stop, allow common sense and logic to weed out LeBatard and his ilk, then ask yourself, "Did Tony Stewart hit Ward on purpose?"
You're kidding, right? Yeah no famous athlete (or whatever you want to call Stewart) has ever done anything heinous or stupid before. :|

[Yachtzee]

You're kidding, right? Yeah no famous athlete (or whatever you want to call Stewart) has ever done anything heinous or stupid before. :|

So without any evidence to support it, you're willing to believe Stewart is capable of murder (which is what it would likely be if Stewart were found to have acted purposefully)? I can't help but wonder if opinions on Stewart are colored by what I feel is a strong undercurrent of NASCAR fandom. It seems to me that there is a subset of NASCAR fans who have a strong dislike for drivers who are not "good ole boys" from the South. When talking to NASCAR fans, I've heard drivers like Stewart and Jeff Gordon described in ways that one would think they're evil incarnate. Why? Because they weren't born south of the Mason-Dixon line and weren't taught the unwritten rules of NASCAR on their daddies' knees.

[bucksfan2]

I don't care enough about racing nor do I want to watch a clip where another human gets hit with a car. I did see a little bit of the clip where Ward gets out of his car and walks and points at what I assume to be Steward. That in its self was an incredibly stupid thing to do. It is inconceivable and inherently dangerous. This guy is putting himself in harms way, in the middle of a dirt track with cars racing by at dangerous speeds. To complicate it the track I would imagine doesn't lend itself to pinpoint control.

I would venture go guess that Tony Stewart did nothing wrong in this incident, no one buy Tony will know what was going through his mind at that time. I do know that his past anger issues could lead towards a public opinion that he was somehow complicit in this accident. I do know that if Ward would have done what he was supposed to do and not venture out into drivers path in anger no one would have ever heard about a race in upstate New York.

[reds44]

So without any evidence to support it, you're willing to believe Stewart is capable of murder (which is what it would likely be if Stewart were found to have acted purposefully)? I can't help but wonder if opinions on Stewart are colored by what I feel is a strong undercurrent of NASCAR fandom. It seems to me that there is a subset of NASCAR fans who have a strong dislike for drivers who are not "good ole boys" from the South. When talking to NASCAR fans, I've heard drivers like Stewart and Jeff Gordon described in ways that one would think they're evil incarnate. Why? Because they weren't born south of the Mason-Dixon line and weren't taught the unwritten rules of NASCAR on their daddies' knees.
I never said any of that. All I said was "why would a guy like Tony Stewart do something so heinous and stupid" is a really bad defense because rich athletes do heinous and stupid things (sometimes including murder) all the time. That's a dumb defense.

I'm from the north and I hate NASCAR.

[RedFanAlways1966]

You're kidding, right? Yeah no famous athlete (or whatever you want to call Stewart) has ever done anything heinous or stupid before. :|

Purposely hit another driver during a race? Sure. Le Batard should be happy. Tony Stewart is famous and he is also not an idiot or murderer (and I am not a Tony fan). I also like to think all these drivers have a common respect for the safety of all drivers. They sometimes are mad at each other and all that during a race, but would not wish injury nor death upon each other. It goes without saying... unless you hate NASCAR and do not understand that sort of thing.

[reds44]

Purposely hit another driver during a race? Sure. Le Batard should be happy. Tony Stewart is famous and he is also not an idiot or murderer (and I am not a Tony fan). I also like to think all these drivers have a common respect for the safety of all drivers. They sometimes are mad at each other and all that during a race, but would not wish injury nor death upon each other. It goes without saying... unless you hate NASCAR and do not understand that sort of thing.
I didn't realize it took a NASCAR fan to realize common sense would lead you to believe a driver wouldn't intentionally run over another driver on foot. Glad we cleared that up, whew. The idea that it is beyond Tony Stewart to do something terrible or stupid is an unbelievably flawed way of thinking. You don't know Tony Stewart, you don't know his character. You're not close to him. Would it be shocking and terrible? Yes, but stuff like that happens everyday.

[medford]

Another factor to consider, is that this happened on a dirt track. Unlike a nice paved track that NASCAR runs on, the dirt gets grooves cut into it from all the traffic constantly circling around. On a paved course, Tony may have been able to quickly dart to his left to avoid him, on a dirt course, by the time he saw him, he may not have been able to maneuver near as easily. He may have been able to see him hundreds of feet away as someone posted above, then again he may not have seen him until he was right on top of him. Poorly light track, guy wearing a dark suit, coming around an oval coarse, lots of traffic in front of him, etc... To assume that he saw him any earlier than when he was right on top of him is a large assumption in my opinion, lots of factors working against him. Even if he did see him get out of the car, I doubt Tony ever considered for a minute that he would walk into the middle of the track and keep on approaching ongoing traffic as Tony was circling the track.

[dubc47834]

I personally believe this is a case of stupidity on both sides that resulted in an accident. Not for one second do I believe that Stewart hit this kid intentionally, but what I do believe is that Stewart was trying to rattle his cage a little after the initial incident. If you listen to the video you can hear a car rev right before Stewart comes on screen and hits Ward. What I believe happened was 1 of 2 things. First, Stewart knew this kidd was pissed and was trying to speed by him, which is a common practice in racing, or secondly, I believe he could have been trying to throw dirt on him with the car and it got way out of hand. Those are the only reasons why Stewart would accelerate. Ward was wrong for getting out of his car and trying to approach Stewart, it could have waited until after the race. Emotions were running high tho. I do think that NASCAR will make changes for their races tho and make it illegal to get out of your car after a crash, unless it is for safety concerns. many local dirt tracks have already implimented this over the last couple days. Horrible targedy that didn't need to happen!!!!

[medford]

only reasons? There is at least one more that I've heard, if you believe that Tony hit the accelerator.

I'm no racing expert, but I heard a former racer explain the potential acceleration. Being on a dirt track, and running the wheels in the grooves created by all of the prior laps by all of the other cars racing, the only way for a drive to quickly dart to his left is to hit the gas while turning the wheel left to get the car out of the groove and hopefully out of the way. He went on to say that if that is the case, the reason why you see Tony's car dart back to the right after the incident is that would be the natural reaction to overcompensating on the original "dart to the left" so that he could regain control of his car.

Only Tony Steward knows what truly happened in that instance. As far as I know, he has yet to publicly describe what he went thru in those moments. The Police, at least so far, seem to be satisfied with whatever account Tony provided to them. It not fair to anyone involved to limit say it had to be 1 of 2 things or 1 of three things, etc... There are many possibilities, but we don't need to jump to conclusions, still too many facts that we don't know about, facts we may never know about.

[dubc47834]

only reasons? There is at least one more that I've heard, if you believe that Tony hit the accelerator.

I'm no racing expert, but I heard a former racer explain the potential acceleration. Being on a dirt track, and running the wheels in the grooves created by all of the prior laps by all of the other cars racing, the only way for a drive to quickly dart to his left is to hit the gas while turning the wheel left to get the car out of the groove and hopefully out of the way. He went on to say that if that is the case, the reason why you see Tony's car dart back to the right after the incident is that would be the natural reaction to overcompensating on the original "dart to the left" so that he could regain control of his car.

Only Tony Steward knows what truly happened in that instance. As far as I know, he has yet to publicly describe what he went thru in those moments. The Police, at least so far, seem to be satisfied with whatever account Tony provided to them. It not fair to anyone involved to limit say it had to be 1 of 2 things or 1 of three things, etc... There are many possibilities, but we don't need to jump to conclusions, still too many facts that we don't know about, facts we may never know about.

In referance to my post. I don't think those are the only 2 things that could have happened. It just happens to be my opinion on what possibly/probably happened, and until Tony Stewart steps forward and gives his story then thats all we can do is speculate!

[powersackers]

In referance to my post. I don't think those are the only 2 things that could have happened. It just happens to be my opinion on what possibly/probably happened, and until Tony Stewart steps forward and gives his story then thats all we can do is speculate!

You guys said very accurate things. I do think it is entirely possible that the blue car in front of Tony is the acceleration sound. Or even a car closer to the camera. Tonys car just doesn't seem to move In relationship to the sound. But sound travels at slower speed to light so only Tony could say for certain without a detailed recreation.

[cincrazy]

I didn't realize it took a NASCAR fan to realize common sense would lead you to believe a driver wouldn't intentionally run over another driver on foot. Glad we cleared that up, whew. The idea that it is beyond Tony Stewart to do something terrible or stupid is an unbelievably flawed way of thinking. You don't know Tony Stewart, you don't know his character. You're not close to him. Would it be shocking and terrible? Yes, but stuff like that happens everyday.

Murders take place every day in front of thousands of people in large public places?

Sure, famous people do dumb things all the time. But you're nitpicking just to create an argument. No chance in HELL Tony Stewart is stupid enough to run a guy down on a racetrack that's being taped in front of thousands of fans.

[medford]

No chance in HELL? Sure there is a chance in Hell, Tony earned the nickname smoke for a reason. He may not have aimed to actually contact him, much less kill him, but he may have aimed to "give him a little scare and teach him a lesson". I don't personally believe that at the moment, but I can't 100% rule it out as you seem to claim.

If you look at the past rosters of his Prelude to a Dream, there are a ton of big names that have shown up in the past, and many of them are from rival teams that have had some heated arguments after NASCAR races. While I don't know him personally, that tells me that he is probably a pretty good dude once the heat of the race wears off. However, there is enough of a history of his hot headness during events that you can't completely rule out that he lost his mind and did something stupid that ended in tragedy, even if there was no intent to strike, doesn't mean he couldn't have done something different. Again, I tend to believe that there was no ill will intended by Tony Stewart; until proven otherwise I'll assume the police are satisfied with his account of the situation; I just can't say 100% really, only Tony knows with 100% accuracy what went down. Sad part is, even if he's 100% innocent, he's going to face these demons the rest of his life.

[Dom Heffner]

Is anyone pointing out how stupid it is to go after a race car on foot?

[cincrazy]

No chance in HELL? Sure there is a chance in Hell, Tony earned the nickname smoke for a reason. He may not have aimed to actually contact him, much less kill him, but he may have aimed to "give him a little scare and teach him a lesson". I don't personally believe that at the moment, but I can't 100% rule it out as you seem to claim.

If you look at the past rosters of his Prelude to a Dream, there are a ton of big names that have shown up in the past, and many of them are from rival teams that have had some heated arguments after NASCAR races. While I don't know him personally, that tells me that he is probably a pretty good dude once the heat of the race wears off. However, there is enough of a history of his hot headness during events that you can't completely rule out that he lost his mind and did something stupid that ended in tragedy, even if there was no intent to strike, doesn't mean he couldn't have done something different. Again, I tend to believe that there was no ill will intended by Tony Stewart; until proven otherwise I'll assume the police are satisfied with his account of the situation; I just can't say 100% really, only Tony knows with 100% accuracy what went down. Sad part is, even if he's 100% innocent, he's going to face these demons the rest of his life.

I never said he wasn't trying to scare him and accidentally hit him. I don't believe that's what happened, but I wouldn't rule it completely out. All I'm saying is, there's no way he saw him and made the determination that he was going to hit him.

[cumberlandreds]

Is anyone pointing out how stupid it is to go after a race car on foot?

See post #5.

[reds44]

Just so we're clear, "trying to put a scare in him" would be vehicular manslaughter.

[medford]

Its not brought up nearly as much as it should, but I've been under the assumption that all agree Kevin Ware's actions were beyond stupid; sadly he paid for said action dearly.

[RedTeamGo!]

Its not brought up nearly as much as it should, but I've been under the assumption that all agree Kevin Ware's actions were beyond stupid; sadly he paid for said action dearly.

Nah, he was murdered in cold blood by the villainous Tony Stewart. I would know, I watch a lot of movies and TV.

[Kingspoint]

Two days before it happened, I was watching a movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Clark Gable. She was a flaming Reporter interviewing the Autoracer Gable who had the reputation as the most aggressive driver on the circuit. She asked him about a death on the track she just witnessed and called him a murderer and accused him of murder from a previous incident, yet she had never seen a race before in her life. Gable, not feeling she was worth the time to speak to because of her ignorance said, "It's happened before. It'll happen again."

I immediately thought of Stewart. Two days later this happened.

[cincrazy]

Just so we're clear, "trying to put a scare in him" would be vehicular manslaughter.

I don't think anyone here disagrees with that. It would be the epitome of stupid and he would deserve the consequences that could potentially come his way.

I don't think we'll ever really know the answer, all there is to do is speculate, sadly.

[Yachtzee]

So, I'm guessing that, regardless of what happens with criminal charges, Ward's family will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart.

[RedsBaron]

So, I'm guessing that, regardless of what happens with criminal charges, Ward's family will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart.
Probably so.
Based upon current information I will be surprised if criminal charges are ever filed against Stewart and I will be extremely surprised if he is ever convicted of a crime as a result of this incident. Short of a confession by Stewart of criminal conduct, I cannot see there being proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he intentionally hit Ward or even that he intentionally drove close to Ward to attempt to scare him.
The standard of proof in a civil wrongful death lawsuit is the lesser standard of "more likely than not." I would not be at all surprised if some personal injury lawyer took the case, and I am sure that for enough money professed experts can be found to opine that, from an examination of amateur videotape of the event they can determine that Stewart intentionally struck Ward or at least intentionally drove near Ward.

[RedsBaron]

The primary cause of the death of Kevin Ward Jr. was his unfortunate decision to get out of his car to confront Tony Stewart as Stewart continued around the track under caution. I wonder if he had ever before got out of his car after a crash to confront another driver as he went around the track and, if so, did his father counsel him that this was dangerous and a bad idea?
I also wonder if Ward was influenced by the unfortunate habit of NASCAR drivers to do what he tried to do. I understand that emotions can run high in any sports competition, including motor sports. In other high level forms of racing, on track confrontations are relatively rare. There were instances in Formula One where Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher were accused of intentionally having their cars collide with the cars of their chief competitors for the season title, but in general on track intentional confrontations in open wheel racing such as Formula One and Indy Car are extremely infrequent as compared to NASCAR. In open wheel racing the confrontations generally take place in the pits, off track. In open wheel racing if two cars make contact generally the collision knocks both cars out of the race.
NASCAR instead celebrates these confrontations. It is commonly believed that NASCAR's popularity increased as a result of the fight between Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers at the close of the 1979 Daytona 500, although at least they were punching each other just off the track itself. Unlike Formula One and Indy Car, almost all NASCAR races are on oval tracks. After a crash, a driver whose car has been taken out knows that if the driver whose car hit his remains in the race that car will soon be coming back around the track under caution, presenting an opportunity for the crashed out driver to display his displeasure. Tony Stewart has thrown his helmet at cars in such a situation.
Just as little kids imitate the batting stances of their favorite MLB players, I wonder if Ward was imitating the antics of NASCAR drivers in his decision to confront a moving race car driven by Stewart.

[medford]

So, I'm guessing that, regardless of what happens with criminal charges, Ward's family will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart.

I would guess so. Likely to avoid lawyer fees and Tony having to take the stand, they'll come to some sort of out of court settlement before it actually gets to trial.