Tony Stewart hits, kills driver in sprint car race

[BeachBum]

Tony Stewart hits, kills driver in sprint car race

Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports5:06 a.m. EDT August 10, 2014

(Photo: Rob Foldy, USA TODAY Sports)

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A race car driver was killed Saturday night after he was struck on the track by NASCAR star Tony Stewart, according to Ontario County (N.Y.) Sheriff Philip C. Povero.

During a sprint car race at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park, driver Kevin Ward Jr. was spun out by Stewart, got out of his car to show his displeasure and then was struck by Stewart's car, sending Ward sliding down the track, fellow sprint car racer Tyler Graves and witness Adam Dulski told USA TODAY Sports.

Povero confirmed the driver was taken by ambulance to Thompson Health and was pronounced dead on arrival. Povero said his office would not identify the driver until receiving confirmation from his family that they had notified family and friends.

"This is an ongoing investigation of an on-track crash," Povero said.

Povero indicated Stewart, 43, was ''fully cooperative'' and that the incident is not being investigated as a criminal matter.

The sheriff's department said the cars involved were taken to private garages.

"Next is continuing interviews, a continued evaluation of evidence we have, including video, and there is certainly going to be an evaluation of medical evidence when it is collected from the autopsy," Povero said.

USATODAY

Tony Stewart at fault in dirt track wreck that injures female driver

Mike Arning, a spokesman for NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing, which Stewart co-owns, issued the following statement:

"A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating. Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We're still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time."

NASCAR did not respond to USA TODAY Sports' request for comment.

The Ontario County Sheriff's Department confirmed deputies were on the scene and investigating an incident at the track before Povero spoke with the media around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

Ward, who raced the No. 13 sprint car at the track, started racing go-karts in 1998 at 4, according to kevinwardracing.com.

Coming out of Turn 2, Stewart's car squeezed Ward's car up into the outside wall, turning it around. Ward's car had a flat tire as a result, and he exited the car to show his displeasure with Stewart's move. He marched down the track and was pointing at Stewart's car as he approached on the ensuing caution lap. Stewart's car then clipped Ward, who was run over and thrown a few yards down the track.

USATODAY

Tony Stewart suffers broken leg in sprint car crash

"It happened in Turn 2," said the 27-year-old Dulski. "The prior lap, Tony had gotten into him – just spun him, nothing big, just spun him around. The caution came out. He hopped out of the car – the driver of the 13 ... he hopped out to go and yell and point a finger at Tony, typical thing.

"Tony came around ... the back end slid out, and he definitely caught him – I couldn't tell if it was with the front or the back of the car. ... The body made contact with the car and went sliding across the track. It was the worst thing I've ever seen."

Graves, 16, of Bolivar, N.Y., said he "grew up watching Kevin the last couple years, then I made the move to sprint cars. I now race a 360. I've raced alongside with Kevin the past two years. …

"Tony and Kevin were battling. … I believe they got together on the frontstretch, Kevin hit the wall and his tire went down. So he spun between (turns) 1 and 2. He got out of the car after the caution was thrown and began to walk down the track, pointing right at the 14, throwing his hands all around. The last thing I seen Kevin do was put his finger to his helmet."

Graves said he saw Ward caught up under the tire and then launched a few yards down the track. Ward hit the ground and didn't move, according to Graves.

According to Ward's website, he started driving sprint cars in 2010 when he notched five top-five finishes. In 2012, he was named Empire Super Sprint rookie of the year. This season was his fifth racing the Empire Super Sprints.

Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup champion who suffered a compound fracture of his right leg in a sprint car accident a year ago, had just returned to the hobby he says helps fuel his success in NASCAR. He was scheduled to compete Sunday in a Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen.

In July of last year, Stewart also was involved in an incident at the Canandaigua track. He sparked a multi-car wreck that sent two drivers to the hospital with injuries.

After Saturday night's incident, racing was canceled for the rest of the night, according to the track's Facebook page.

In a later post, the track said: "Canandaigua Motorspots Park will not have an official statement on the accident that happened in the ESS race until tomorrow. Please pray for the entire racing community of fans, drivers, and families. Please be respectful in any comments."

Contributing: Steve Bradley, (Rochester) Democrat and Chronicle

[BeachBum]

Was this a tragic accident or just another temper tantrum by Tony Stewart? I watched this video and Stewart had plenty of room to his left, the yellow was out, yet he still veered to the right and ran over Kevin.

 

In my mind, it's indefensible behavior. What's your opinion?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3-LS98QtGQ

 

R.I.P. Keven Ward Jr. (age 20) Condolences to his family and friends.

[Brazilnut 20]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QJdBd0437U&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_QJdBd0437U&has_verified=1

[AustinF1]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/justice/tony-stewart-hits-driver/

 

(CNN) -- NASCAR driver Tony Stewart hit and killed another driver who was walking on a track during a dirt-track race in upstate New York, authorities said early Sunday.

The incident occurred Saturday night at the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

One of the sprint cars hit the wall during lap 14 of a 25-lap race, Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero said.

A video of the incident shows the driver of the crashed car out of his vehicle, walking on the track toward the race cars, which had slowed for a yellow flag. The driver points a finger and appears to be yelling. One car swerves to avoid the driver on the track.

Tony Stewart is scheduled to drive today in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International raceway.

Stewart's car passes close to the driver, and it appears that its right rear tire hits the driver.

An ambulance took the driver to a hospital, but he died before it arrived, Povero told reporters.

"Stewart has fully cooperated" with an investigation, Povero said. "He acknowledges the collision with the driver."

Authorities declined to name the victim, but Tyler Graves, a witness at the track, said it was his friend, Kevin Ward.

Stewart's spokesman said they are trying to sort out the details.

"A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating," Mike Arning said. "Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

Stewart is a three-time champion in NASCAR's top division. Canandaigua Motorsports Park is about a two-hour drive from Watkins Glen International race track, where Stewart is scheduled to race in a NASCAR event Sunday.

An investigation is under way.

 

 

[HiTech]

WELL I DONT SEE WHERE TONY WRECKED THE GUY . THE OTHER DRIVER MOVED TO THE OUTSIDE AND TONY SLID UP TAKING THE LINE HE WANTED ..HAPPENS EVERY WHERE .....AND IN SLOW MO TONYS LEFT FRONT WHEEL TURNED LEFT BEFORE THE HIT .SO THIS ISNT ENOUGH VIDEO AND ANGLE AND CLEAR ENOUGH TO REALLY MAKE A JUDGEMENT CALL .OTHER THEN YES TONY COULD HAVE BEEN LOWER THAN HE WAS .BUT THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE JUST MOVED CLOSER ANY WAY .......THE DRIVER PUT HIMSELF IN THAT DANGEROUS POSITION AS OTHERS HAVE DONE .. ..................THIS TIME IT COST ..... I AM NOT PICKING SIDES HERE ..ITS TRAGIC ...

[2damslow]

do you guys thisnk that tony hitting the gas? if so turning left would just put his RR tire right into him as it did

[Alloutpc17]

Tragic indeed. In my opinion, you never get out of your car and stand in the middle of the track wearing a black firesuit with low light and visability.

[arob]

Only one person knows for sure and I can't imagine he or any driver running over anyone intentionally.This is tragic beyond words but the kid did run toward the car.

[NickHolt]

This is tragic at so many levels. This incident will impact the sport as much as, if not more than, DE's death at Daytona.

 

Prayers are what's needed now. Prayers especially for the family and friends of Kevin Ward, Jr and for Tony. Prayers for the sport.

 

Nick

[mstevens]

I would call this an accident for sure.

Look at this screenshots (Now sit in your car w/ the engine running w/ vibration and imagine tracking in on that figure) and add dirt to your visor as well.

 

 

 

 

and take this in-car video for example of look angle coming off the corner.

 

From Tony's perspective (inside line looking at car) he (Ward) would have been in front of his car ( and totally blended in w/ black suit and helmet on)

At caution speed and the car being in front of him as well coming around the corner I could easily see him only seeing at the last second that it was somebody.

 

Accidents happen as we see them every week at the track, but bodies dont bump as well as bumbers so it is tragic.

 

My two cents since my neighbor woke me up saying Tony swerved and killed a guy so I had to wakeup to see what the deal was.

cya

Mark

[AustinF1]

Steven Cole Smith weighs in...

http://www.motorsport.com/sprint/news/yes-tony-stewart-did-run-over-a-fellow-driver-who-was-killed-but-know-the-whole-story/

Yes, Tony Stewart did run over a fellow driver, who was killed. But know the whole story.

By: Steven Cole Smith, Editor in Chief, Motorsport.com

Posted: 6 hours ago

Incomprehensible tragedy occurs Saturday night at a dirt track in New York.

Many of you will wake up to the incomprehensible news that Tony Stewart was responsible for the death of a fellow racer last night. It’s true. But you need to know the whole story – or at least as complete as it is at 5 a.m. ET, when I write this.

There is no denying that the death Saturday night of 20-year-old sprint car driver Kevin Ward, Jr., killed when he was struck by the right rear tire of a sprint car driven by NASCAR star Tony Stewart, is a tragedy almost beyond comprehension.

His team released a brief statement, but it is generic and probably vetted by lawyers: “A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating. Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We’re still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time."

Making it so much worse is the excruciating contention, repeated literally hundreds of times last night on social media, that Stewart swerved into Ward intentionally.

According to a video of the incident, Stewart was inside the young Empire Super Sprint driver going into turn two of Canandaigua Speedway in upstate New York. Stewart drifted high, and Ward, running out of room, touched the outside wall, spinning completely one time, and coming to a stop pointing in the wrong direction, his right rear tire flat.

He climbed from his car, and began striding down the track, obviously looking for Stewart, whose car was approaching at a reduced speed under the caution flag, but still traveling at perhaps 40 mph. Ward was pointing a finger at Stewart’s car and moved toward it.

It appears Stewart saw him at the last second, and swerved, but still hit Ward hard enough to toss him like a rag doll at least 20 feet down the track. An autopsy is pending, but it seems likely Ward suffered a broken neck, though he still had his helmet and head restraint device on, but the device only works when you are strapped into your car. Stewart stopped about a hundred feet down the track. Emergency workers were there in second. Indeed, Stewart may have hit the gas, but you steer sprint cars with the throttle for more than the steering wheel. The idea that he accelerated trying to hit Ward is beyond the pale.

How could this happen?

I have driven winged sprint cars, and as you can imagine, visibility to the side is horrible. Ward was wearing a mostly black fire suit and a black helmet. The idea that any driver would purposely hit another over what was a comparatively minor, that’s-racing incident is hard to swallow. That Tony Stewart would do it on purpose? That is unthinkable.

There are so many sad coincidences here that the mind reels. This is the same track where, just over one year ago, Stewart sparked a 17-car collision that sent two drivers to the hospital, including a 19-year-old female racer.

And just a few days ago, it was the one-year anniversary of Stewart’s own crash in a 360-cubic-inch sprint car identical to the one he was driving Saturday night, breaking his leg so severely in two places that he had to miss the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Let me correct one thing I just said: The car Stewart was driving Saturday night was fitted with several safety features that Stewart helped develop, based on his crash and the death of three sprint car drivers last year, including NASCAR driver Jason Leffler. Those safety features included tethers similar to the ones used in IndyCar, and a re-enforced tunnel for the torque tube, which is essentially a driveshaft that runs between the driver’s legs. That tube rupturing is what injured Stewart. He told me earlier this year that if anything good came from his crash that -- like it did when the death of Dale Earnhardt occurred – safety innovations were developed that have likely saved other driver’s lives.

And a final irony is that Saturday night, 820 miles due west from Canandaigua, New York, the biggest sprint car race of the year was being held – the Knoxville Nationals, in Knoxville, Iowa, featuring all the World of Outlaws sprint car stars, and the top drivers from other series. The feature there was just about to get rolling when Stewart’s accident occurred. The winner of the Knoxville Nationals, for the eighth time – Donny Schatz, who drives for team owner Tony Stewart. In fact, Stewart was in Knoxville earlier this week, cheering on his team, which also includes soon-to-retire sprint car legend Steve Kinser.

Why does Stewart do it?

After Stewart’s own crash, he took a lot of criticism about how someone of his stature should not be racing sprint cars – that so many employees and sponsors depended on him, that he simply shouldn’t participate in something so dangerous. Some of those people will be waiting for a respectful time to pass before they say, “I told you so.” Others won’t even wait that long.

Stewart said that of all the types of cars he has driven, winged sprint cars were the most challenging, and that he needed to challenge himself. Some of his fellow drivers understood, others did not.

Not long ago, I asked NASCAR driver Greg Biffle – who, like Stewart, came up racing on short tracks – what he thought of the fact that a healed-up Stewart had said that he was about to go back to sprint car racing.

It’s in our blood. Driving race cars is what we do.

Greg Biffle

This is what Biffle said:

“It’s in our blood. Driving race cars is what we do. I like to ride dirt bikes and ride my ATVs and I have a sand car, and if somebody told me I couldn’t do that anymore I’d be devastated. I’m different from Tony, or Kasey Kahne or Clint Bowyer – I get my fill of racing from NASCAR, so my fun activity is to get to go play in the sand or the desert. That’s what I love to do.

“So I know where he’s coming from. That’s what he enjoys, what he loves, that’s what he’s done since he was a little kid. No matter what you do, racing or not, we could all get hit by a bus when we cross the street. We should all be able to do something you love, and that’s what he loves to do.”

As for what he gets out of sprint cars: He did a conference call with some of us just after he returned to sprint car racing on July 18, winning his first time out at the Tri-City Speedway, a dirt track in Michigan, where he showed up unannounced to run a 360 sprint with the SOD (Sprints on Dirt) series.

“I just like it,” Stewart said. “I've always liked dirt racing. I've always liked racing Sprint cars, and it's just what I enjoy doing. Everybody has hobbies. Everybody has stuff they like to do when they have downtime, and that's just what it is for me. That's what I like to do when I have extra time.”

The coming storm

As I write this, it is difficult – impossible, really – to imagine the storm that is about to rain down on sprint car racing in general, Tony Stewart in particular. Having covered him since his original short-track days, I wish I could tell you about the charitable deeds you don’t know about. About how we once admitted to each other that we each had a Chihuahua dog, that happened to sleep in our bed, and how we must never again say that out loud in public. About how, when he briefly owned a few racing Greyhounds, that he would fly them to new owners in his private jet when they retired.

Tony Stewart is as gruff as they come, but he has the biggest heart of any professional driver I have ever known. I can only imagine how his heart is broken for causing the death of another young driver, and to have people insisting that he did it on purpose.

I can imagine how bad that is: I can not imagine what the friends and family of Kevin Ward, Jr. – described in one Facebook post by a friend as “the nicest folks who ever walked the earth” – must be going through.

This story will be enormous, the repercussions far-reaching and likely devastating on multiple levels. No matter what happens at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race this afternoon at Watkins Glen, where Stewart is supposed to start 13th – the number of Kevin Ward’s sprint car – this tragedy will eclipse everything, and will for a long time.

I’m praying for Kevin Ward’s family, and for Tony Stewart. If you are so inclined, maybe you can, too.

 

 

[97car]

Adrenaline was still flowing sad all the way around. These do not have clutches, track is

a little dark there, dark suit and unless on fire shouldn't have got out of car until safety crew

was on sight. Could have been even worse. Bad deal all the way around.

[top_shelf_12]

That's a great article AustinF1. Obviously there's a few things I'd like to discuss at a later time that are just topic points not blame game or antagonizing but as Nick said, this is a time for prayer and healing. Maybe at a later date here or raceontexas or somewhere the talking points will be discussed but til then, thoughts and prayers with the Ward Family, Stewart, and everyone involved in New York.

[AustinF1]

I would call this an accident for sure.

Look at this screenshots (Now sit in your car w/ the engine running w/ vibration and imagine tracking in on that figure) and add dirt to your visor as well.

 

 

 

 

and take this in-car video for example of look angle coming off the corner.

 

From Tony's perspective (inside line looking at car) he (Ward) would have been in front of his car ( and totally blended in w/ black suit and helmet on)

At caution speed and the car being in front of him as well coming around the corner I could easily see him only seeing at the last second that it was somebody.

 

Accidents happen as we see them every week at the track, but bodies dont bump as well as bumbers so it is tragic.

 

My two cents since my neighbor woke me up saying Tony swerved and killed a guy so I had to wakeup to see what the deal was.

cya

Mark

Great posting Mark.

[j.j.&s.racing]

prayers go out to the family.and tony

[hardheadted]

I feel bad for the young mans family and for Tony. There are no winners in this..

[HiTech]

DTRpr its sad you hate tony to a point that your post puts all the blame on tony .not any blame on this young man for being where he should not have been . i am not a tony fan really the hot head i saw was a young man mad and sadly it cost him dearly and neither tony that young man thought anything like this could happen or wanted it to happen ..i feel sadness for all involved this is the one fear we all have racing ..

[AustinF1]

Just a sad incident for everyone involved, including Stewart and his family.

[BeachBum]

DTRpr its sad you hate tony to a point that your post puts all the blame on tony .not any blame on this young man for being where he should not have been . i am not a tony fan really the hot head i saw was a young man mad and sadly it cost him dearly and neither tony that young man thought anything like this could happen or wanted it to happen ..i feel sadness for all involved this is the one fear we all have racing ..

I don't hate Stewart. I hate what he did. And I'm not alone. But just to be clear, here's the cold-hard reality of his action!

 

 

 

 

 

Upstate N.Y. communities mourn, recall Kevin Ward Jr.

Longtime fans react to Saturday night's crash that claimed the life of Kevin Ward Jr at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park. Ward Jr. was struck by a car being driven by Tony Stewart.

Kevin Oklobzija, USA TODAY Sports9:57 p.m. EDT August 10, 2014

(Photo: Annette Lein, USA TODAY Sports)

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PORT LEYDEN, N.Y. -- Saturday was race night, which meant the far left garage bay and driveway at Westward Painting Co. Inc. on Laura Street in Lyons Falls should have been bustling on Sunday afternoon.

Instead, the sound of silence was deafening.

The garage bay was empty, the driveway deserted. The battered No. 13 Sprint car of Kevin Ward Jr. was still in Canandaigua, though his black Dodge Ram pickup was parked off to the side.

"They would always be out here the day after a race," said Lynn Hardy, who lives right across Laura Street from the garage. "They would have the tires off and they'd be doing their maintenance and Kevin would start the car and rev the engine.

"This is quiet. This is not right."

USATODAY

Race director on Ward: 'He showed a lot of promise'

Ward was killed Saturday night when he was struck by Tony Stewart's car at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, where both were racing 360 sprint cars in the Empire Super Sprints. Chuck Miller, the race director and president for the ESS circuit, said it was the fifth or sixth time that Stewart had raced on the circuit over the past four years. Ward had been spun by Stewart and approached the three-time Sprint Cup champion's car under caution when he was hit.

On Sunday, Ward was remembered by his neighbors and sprint car series officials as a racer with prodigious talent and no acrimonious past with Stewart.

"There's no history with these two drivers," Miller said. "That's the competitive nature of the game and the drivers around it."

TRAGEDY: Tony Stewart hits, kills on-foot driver

Miller said Ward won the ESS rookie of the year award as a 16-year-old in 2010, finishing seventh in the points standings. He had won four times since then, and his family was involved with sponsoring awards for the ESS, which races at 18 tracks across the northeast and in Montreal, and hosting indoor go-kart races.

"Kevin was a prolific winner in go-karts at all levels," Miller said. "He showed a lot of promise and talent. ... On the track, you couldn't tell him apart from a veteran. He had that kind of talent."

Word of Ward's death spread quickly.

"When I got up this morning I had a text message that Kevin died," said Justin Marmon, 21, who was two years ahead of Kevin Ward Jr. at South Lewis High School in nearby Turin.

Sue Sampson saw the news when she browsed the internet around 6 a.m. "I said, 'Oh, my God, this is the kid up the road.' "

STEWART STATEMENT: No words for 'sadness I feel'

ARMOUR: Not racing should have been obvious to Stewart

Here, in these tiny towns at the southern end of New York's Adirondack Region, there are no strangers.

"Everybody feels awful bad," said Don Gydesen of neighboring Lyons Falls. "Everybody around here knows Kevin."

They know his father, too. Kevin Sr. owns Westward Painting. He sponsored the truck series not long ago at Adirondack Speedway. The story told by several townsfolk was that when the town of Lyons Falls needed the railings of the Black River bridge painted, Kevin Sr. just did it. For free.

"Kevin was like that," Randy Mooney said.

Friends and family arrive at Kevin Ward Jr.'s home in Port Leyden, N.Y.(Photo: Annette Lein, USA TODAY Sports)

At the Ward home just off Kelpytown Road, family and friends gathered to mourn. They requested privacy as car after car, truck after truck, with townsfolk stopped by to offer condolences.

The Wards issued a statement that read: "The family appreciates all the prayers and support and would like time to grieve at this point."

Others in town grieved with them.

The 20-year-old started driving go-karts on a track in the backyard of the Ward home. "You're thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, he's too young for this,' " said Hardy, Kevin's aunt through a previous marriage to Randy Ward. "And then he grew up.

"This is horrible – just horrible."

Tammy and Bruce Branagan moved to Port Leyden five years ago. They soon met Ward, who lived perhaps a quarter-mile away.

"He asked if he could go through here on his four-wheeler," Bruce Branagan said. "I said sure, just make sure you wear a helmet. He always had to have the loudest one."

Kevin Oklobzija also writes for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

[HiTech]

If you're going to throw around terms like negligence, I for one would like to hear some supporting evidence for such a serious accusation. But that discussion may be more appropriate in a separate thread. I'll wait and see what Nick has to say on the matter.

agree f1 on the evidence.....a trial has been held with out a full investigation based off a video thats grainy at best with only one possible conclusion... one person who stepped out of their safety zone bares no burden ...and the other is a murderer ...my point is it took two to tangle and sadly one was killed and i hope that a murder did not happen but until that is proven ill have to give the driver his fair shake..so i will just have to wait the outcome of the investigation by proper authority.. and give dtrpr his due on his thought though i do not agree with it at all ...i hold no ill will towards dtrpr .a free country we live in .well at this time anyway ..

[BeachBum]

Boy's I'm simply stating MY OPINION. I raced cars for 20 years. After that, I promoted racetracks for 20 years. So I have some first-hand perspective on the subject.

 

Hot headed racers jump out of crashed race cars every weekend and point fingers at others. Should they do that, hell no. Do they do that, hell yes.

 

Did Stewart run over Kevin on purpose, absolutely not. Did he mean to kill him, of course not. But in MY OPINION Stewart should have been able to avoid running over him!

 

Let's all wait and see what the proper authorities determine. In the meantime, let's keep the Ward family in our prayers.

[HiTech]

10-4 dtrpr

[Danielsen Motorsports]

Yes its tragic and a terrible thing to have happen. What I thing is really terrible that it takes a superstar status to bring world attention to the matter. It has happened plenty of times in the past and it will happen yet again in the near future. If the kid would have gotten hit by a different driver I bet it would have only made the local news. But now you have grandma and others who have never gone to a dirt track, who never knew what a sprint car was before this spitting out what should happen to those involved. I love the judgements being thrown out their as well over a 10 second video showing the actual contact. First off the video should have never been allowed public, NEVER. That in my opinion is straight up BS! I know it would be hard to keep from happening but because you have a camera in your phone does not give you the right to blast the death of a young individual who is someones grandson, son or brother. Should have been turned into the authorities to help provide info to the investigation. Next if you have never sat and drove a sprintcar then why in the hell are you voicing your opinion about one? Of all racecars they are the most dangerous, most dangerous means #1 most dangerous. I have for a short time. I realized it was not for me. I had no trouble going fast and doing well in one but I knew at some point something bad would happen. It is nothing like any other race car. They are designed to handle and be raced at wide open throttle period. You have a right sideboard that hangs down blocking about 90% of your right side vision, You have an ungodly amount of rear stagger between left and right rear tires. What do you think happens when you get in and out of the gas or slam on the brakes? You have a kid running down in front of you unexpected wearing a black firesuit and helmet on a black clay dirt track. You have tearoffs piled onto your helment, a poor light track cause no dirt track has lighting worth a crap. Its a recipe for disaster and thats what happened. There are many drivers that have grown up and mastered sprint car racing Tony Stewart is one of them like it or not. You hear people barking he hit the gas, he steered into him? What? Again if you never have drove one then all you are doing is telling everyone how stupid you are to the topic. I dont know if he hit the gas or not but the fact is to make a sprint car turn applying power does exactly that, it makes the car turn left and on dirt you steer right to go left when your making power. Do you actually think Tony would simply turn and run the kid over with a 1400 lb car? The guy has a temper no doubt its documented but not like that. He has done more for dirt track racing then any nascar driver, period. He gives and gives and gives back to the sport we all love. To take the little portion of video and suggest these outrageous statements well I hope like hell your not on any type of jury with somebodies freedom at stake cause they are screwed. Its very sad for the kid it should have never happened. If somehow he would have survived his next interview would have been, Boy did I make a bad decision! I dont know him but I pretty much would guarantee that. I think people should watch more local news and see infants getting beat up, policeman being shot, school teachers having sex w under age kids. Those are difference makers if you want to judge/scream about something instead of disregarding it and sweeping those kinds of things under the rug. I have drove for 31 years and I dont feel I have the right to judge anything about the circumstances of Wards death and Tonys involvement. Sure I have an opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs but come on everyone didnt sleep at a holiday inn last night and become a judge overnite.

[racer61]

Here is a thought. Lead by example. Cup stars have been doing this crap for years. We sit on our couches in front of our kids and egg it on when its our favorite driver and boo it when its not. That same kid gets into racing and sees their idols acting a fool on TV and its ok. So when the unthinkable happens we want to claim its someone elses fault because we wont take responsibility for teaching them better. You didnt seem to mind Tony throwing his helmet at Kenseth. In fact the crowd cheered. Same with Kurt Bush, Michael Waltrip, and many many others.

 

Think about that next time your favorite driver makes a dumb a$$ move. What is the bigger picture you want to teach the younger crowd.

 

Respect is taught, not bought.

[BeachBum]

Here is a thought. Lead by example. Cup stars have been doing this crap for years. We sit on our couches in front of our kids and egg it on when its our favorite driver and boo it when its not. That same kid gets into racing and sees their idols acting a fool on TV and its ok. So when the unthinkable happens we want to claim its someone elses fault because we wont take responsibility for teaching them better. You didnt seem to mind Tony throwing his helmet at Kenseth. In fact the crowd cheered. Same with Kurt Bush, Michael Waltrip, and many many others.

 

Think about that next time your favorite driver makes a dumb a$$ move. What is the bigger picture you want to teach the younger crowd.

 

Respect is taught, not bought.

 

You're right on the mark. Let's learn a valuable lesson from this harsh reality!