Tony Stewart Sprint Car Accident

[DesertDog]

I just saw what happened with Tony Stewart hitting that Sprint Car driver last night.  Either way, no way I'm posting a video of that accident but what does everyone think?  It's pretty difficult to say that was intentional when Kevin Ward went to the bottom third of the track to point at Stewart.  For what it's worth I didn't hear the engine rev up like so many people are claiming.  Awful thing to see happen, I have a feeling it's going to instigate all racing bodies stopping drivers from getting out of the car after a crash until the emergency crew arrives.

[rickmastfan67]

I just saw what happened with Tony Stewart hitting that Sprint Car driver last night.  The damn thing made me sick to my stomach to watch; reminded me of when I was hit by a car...  Either way, no way I'm posting a video of that accident but what does everyone think?  It's pretty difficult to say that was intentional when Kevin Ward went to the bottom third of the track to point at Stewart.  For what it's worth I didn't hear the engine rev up like so many people are claiming.  Awful thing to see happen, I have a feeling it's going to instigate all racing bodies stopping drivers from getting out of the car after a crash until the emergency crew arrives.

While I haven't seen the video yet, it's sad when any driver loses his life on the track, no matter how it happens.

Anyways, even if all racing bodies attempt to stop drivers from getting out of their cars after that wreck, there will be some exceptions.  For instance, if the car is on fire, I think they will look the other way if they start fineing drivers who jump out of the cars 'too fast'.

[formulanone]

I'm not sure when it became acceptable for drivers to meet up on the track after an incident, but it seems to have become a more common affair in the past decade or so. It's immature and stupid...this isn't wrestling; these are several-thousand-pound cars moving at speed, and thus it was sadly just a matter of time until a horrible and senseless thing like this happened.

It's hard to say much else until the authorities look at the recordings; I don't really want to believe that Tony Stewart intentionally hit him.

[bing101]

Lets hope USAC and others investigate this closely.

[1995hoo]

I just saw what happened with Tony Stewart hitting that Sprint Car driver last night.  The damn thing made me sick to my stomach to watch; reminded me of when I was hit by a car...  Either way, no way I'm posting a video of that accident but what does everyone think?  It's pretty difficult to say that was intentional when Kevin Ward went to the bottom third of the track to point at Stewart.  For what it's worth I didn't hear the engine rev up like so many people are claiming.  Awful thing to see happen, I have a feeling it's going to instigate all racing bodies stopping drivers from getting out of the car after a crash until the emergency crew arrives.

While I haven't seen the video yet, it's sad when any driver loses his life on the track, no matter how it happens.

Anyways, even if all racing bodies attempt to stop drivers from getting out of their cars after that wreck, there will be some exceptions.  For instance, if the car is on fire, I think they will look the other way if they start fineing drivers who jump out of the cars 'too fast'.

I can't say I would recommend looking at the video because you basically see the guy get obliterated.  But that said, I've seen so many NASCAR drivers do the exact same thing that Kevin Ward did for years with the getting pissed off and finger pointing the driver who wrecked them..  Ricky Craven actually had some excellent commentary on the subject on Sports Center after the Watkins Glen race, he did talk about an exception being fire.

Don't forget this was a dirt track with less traction and more inherent drift than a paved Winston Cup track. Major difference.

Either way, it's pathetic how many people out there (and I don't mean anyone in this thread) are screaming "throw him in jail" based solely on a 66-second mobile phone video. Asinine.

[1995hoo]

Pretty much. Yes, the local authorities absolutely should investigate. But absent any further evidence that really changes the analysis, it's hard to conclude anything. Damn shame. But you're on a dirt track that apparently was fairly slippery due to weather, it's dimly lit, you're wearing all black, several cars were using the high line, and sprint cars inherently oversteer and drift more than Cup cars do. Very poor decision to walk out there like that.

[jeffandnicole]

Viewing one video and the comments afterwards, it proves two things: A) what people think they saw (arms waving wildly) isn't what really happened (racer walked out in middle of track and repeatedly pointed at car), and B) why blame Stewart as the aggressor? He was in a car, while the victim was walking on the track. I'm pretty sure someone walking out on any type of road surface is going to become a victim if he keeps that up.  What exactly did the victim think was going to happen? Stewart would jump out and start wrestling him on the track?

[texaskdog]

If you were on a freeway that had many bends and curves in it would you stand in a lane of traffic and point at cars?  Okay, now make their speed TWICE as fast as a freeway.  You have to be pretty stupid to do that.  Sad that it cost him his life but it was a really stupid thing to do.

[Billy F 1988]

After seeing the story on ESPN.com and Facebook, it sent me into full anti-Tony Stewart rage mode. I won't share what I put on Facebook but I will put it you this way: I basically was pointing out how angry I was about this whole deal. I never cared about Tony anyway. I never followed the guy. I never will. What really set me up was the fact that the gosh damn championship is more important to him than the life he (perhaps not deliberately) took away from that man during the event that night. Now that's just messed up. The Sprint Cup is more important than the life he took away? Dude! What the hell?! He's got two of them from Joe Gibbs Racing and one from his own team. Why is getting a fourth title more important than the life that was taken away at the race that night? See, that's the kind of people I never associate with. People like Stewart who at times have big inflated egos. But let's also keep in mind the guy who got out to confront Tony also had some sort of inflated ego. Now it may not have been that way throughout the whole event, but I do believe that at certain points of the event, his ego inflated. When two inflated egos meet, nothing good happens. His choice was foolish, and Tony now has to deal with that fact until he hangs up the helmet.

Being mad at Tony for this just didn't cut it for me. I had to actually recuse myself of the statements I made on Facebook, which is what I did here.

[formulanone]

On Sunday morning, Tony Stewart declined to race at Watkins Glen.

As much as I think he's a whiny egomaniac (to be fair, that's a lot of modern top-tier drivers in most brackets of racing), he's one of the last race-for-the-hell-of-it drivers left in the entire sport. By running in several comparatively minor events with the associated risks involved, I'd say he has more than just "championship" on his mind.

[FLRoads]

Back in the day I could not stand Tony Stewart for his inflated ego and pompous attitude on and off the track. In fact I had a mini anti-Tony Stewart fan club going (R.A.T.S. - Racefans Against Tony Stewart). But as I've gotten older (and as he's gotten older) my views have changed somewhat. I still think he lets that ego come out every so often, but as formulanone stated he is one of the few remaining "race for the hell of it drivers" left on the circuit. And its those types of racers that continue to make the sport what it is.

As far as him initially going to race yesterday, that was stemming from Stewart-Haas Racing (Zipadelli). It was Stewart who made the final decision not to race.

I'm also pretty sure that a fourth championship was the least thing on his mind. He has had a mediocre season anyway, so he already knew his chances are growing slim of getting into the Chase.

[agentsteel53]

I'm not sure when it became acceptable for drivers to meet up on the track after an incident

Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough going at it in 1979.

[formulanone]

I'm not sure when it became acceptable for drivers to meet up on the track after an incident

Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough going at it in 1979.

Yeah, but they were squaring off in the grassy run-off below the apron after Bobby and Cale smacked the crap out of each other on the last lap.

Be safe...wear a helmet.

[agentsteel53]

looking at developing analysis, I'm believing this was a horrible accident.

sprint cars are driven sufficiently differently from "regular" vehicles that the acceleration is a legitimate avoidance technique in this case: since the right tire is so much bigger than the right, accelerating will actually turn the vehicle to the left, which is precisely the evasive maneuver Stewart would have needed to avoid Ward on his right. 

the car's rear wheel kicked out from oversteer (again, very different how the layman drives a road vehicle) and swallowed poor Kevin Ward.

no malice from Stewart here from what I can tell - not even of the "show him up by kicking dirt on him" type.  Kevin Ward entered a hot track to attempt to settle a beef, and coincidentally the guy who caused him to lose a tire is the same guy who came around a lap later and couldn't avoid him.

[triplemultiplex]

Do I have to be the guy to say this Kevin Ward fellow was an fucking idiot for walking out into "traffic"?

I don't follow auto racing in any form, but you can help but run into this story.  So I've seen the sanitized version (aka, stop video before the impact.)  I see an angry man raging his way into oncoming traffic and cars are swerving to miss him until one cannot.  There can be nobody to blame more so than the man who was killed.

Obviously it's a sad tragedy, but as a dispassionate observer whose knowledge of racing comes from reading the rear windows of pick up trucks, it's the dead guy's fault.

[agentsteel53]

reading the rear windows of pick up trucks

all I've ever learned from that medium is that Calvin sure loves to urinate.

[bugo]

reading the rear windows of pick up trucks

all I've ever learned from that medium is that Calvin sure loves to urinate.

[Brandon]

Do I have to be the guy to say this Kevin Ward fellow was an fucking idiot for walking out into "traffic"?

You're not alone in that.  If Kevin Ward had not gotten out of his vehicle and stood there in traffic, he'd still be alive today.

We live in a society where it seems to be considered a faux paus to blame the dead man for his own demise.  Yet, in cases such as this, the dead man is exactly the one who did cause his own demise.  I've already been shouted down by coworkers for suggesting that maybe Kevin Ward should have kept his temper and waited till later to confront Stewart.

[agentsteel53]

show me a 491 shield made to that spec.  it's definitely not '70.  looks to me to be New York, 1960s three-digit.



while we're on the topic of urination, let's urinate on anything '70 spec because, as of this year, '70 spec will have been the law of the land for 44 years - precisely half the age of the US highway system.  we've had boring modern shit for as long as we had classic stuff, and that ratio ain't never gonna get better.

[Billy F 1988]

Oh, please. We're talking about a human life that was lost because of an altercation between two men whose egos were way above their paygrade and all the sudden we go into pissy pissy mode on '70 spec US highway signs. If you want to talk about how ugly they are, that's what the General Discussion thread is for.

[agentsteel53]

Oh, please. We're talking about a human life that was lost because of an altercation between two men whose egos were way above their paygrade and all the sudden we go into pissy pissy mode on '70 spec US highway signs. If you want to talk about how ugly they are, that's what the General Discussion thread is for.

oh this is very good.  you've managed to conclusively prove that Tony Stewart acted out of malice.  Ontario County sheriff would definitely like to hear about this.  585 394 4560

[hbelkins]

No indictment. I'm glad of that. Otherwise, anytime a batter in baseball got hit by a pitch, the pitcher would be charged with assault.

And even bigger news: Kevin Ward was stoned and driving a race car that night. Levels of marijuana sufficient to impair his judgment were found in his system.

[rickmastfan67]

No indictment. I'm glad of that. Otherwise, anytime a batter in baseball got hit by a pitch, the pitcher would be charged with assault.

Agreed.  Glad Tony has been exonerated.

And even bigger news: Kevin Ward was stoned and driving a race car that night. Levels of marijuana sufficient to impair his judgment were found in his system.

Sounds like they need to do drug tests at all tracks because of this.

[1995hoo]

More to the AARoads aspect of the Stewart story, I noted this: 

Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said the victim, Kevin Ward Jr., was under the influence of marijuana the night of the accident "enough to impair judgment." Tantillo also said two videos examined by investigators showed "no aberrational driving by Tony Stewart."

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/11582576/tony-stewart-face-charges-death-kevin-ward-jr

[mtantillo]

More to the AARoads aspect of the Stewart story, I noted this: 

Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said the victim, Kevin Ward Jr., was under the influence of marijuana the night of the accident "enough to impair judgment." Tantillo also said two videos examined by investigators showed "no aberrational driving by Tony Stewart."

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/11582576/tony-stewart-face-charges-death-kevin-ward-jr

Hah, I used to love seeing my name on campaign posters in upstate NY when I was a little kid!  But, unfortunately, no known (close) relationship.