let me start out by saying God bless the ward family. A lot has been said over the last week and I have watched and read a lot,. a lot been said about the lighting at the track I have raced at canandagua both in the modifieds and sprintcars never have I heard any driver complain about the lighting. never would a owner or promoter want poor lighting at there track as if something like this that has happened he would have to face a lawsuit and much has been said about kevin’s black fire suit , have raced against many black cars never had problem seeing them. now the dust problem well canandagua gets real hard slick surface in the middle with a grove on the bottom and a grove up on the cushion and if there is dust its gone after a few laps..Now a sprint car usually runs about 91 in. around on the left rear and 105 to 108 on the right rear that about 15 to 18 in. of stager and tony knew how the rear end of his car would act with that much stager when he punched the gas then maybe it was some other driver that punched his gas, no watch the brand name on his tire speed up do not believe tony tried to hit him but just try to scare him not realizing how close kevin was to his car but tony you are suppose to slow down not speed up during a caution..Kevin did in deed try to grab Tony’s wing only to try save his life but only to be sucked under his 18 in. right rear tire and be thrown 20 feet.,if tony had not hit his gas would Kevin of been thrown that far? I only pray that when Ontario sheriff office makes their findings they do it with God not the devil and not who tony stewart is! Kevin wanted to live his dream the same way tony has and now that’s been taken from him.
It is hard to see from this one view point but the front tires on these cars are slightly further out than the front. From what I see in slow motion, the rear tires slide slightly in towards the inside of the track as if he realized at the last moment that the guy was getting to close and he turns his front wheels towards the right, causing the rear tires to swerve to the left which would have brought the rear tires away from the Ward. Yes, the guy should not leave his car unless he was in more danger in the car than out, yes, he should not have made the movement towards Stewart, he should have at least went to the inside of the track to confront Stewart. A 1 ton vehicle is no fight that a human can win and yes, he should not have made that last minute movement even closer to Stewart as he came into view. If you watch, after 2 cars before Stewart came into view, Ward made an even closer movement towards Stewart and it looks like Stewart did not realize the guy was going to actually get that close and made a last ditch effort to swerve the wider part of the car, the rear tires, away from the guy but it was too late and he was to close.
One more thing, with what I said, if Stewart causes another wreck at the same dirt track again, I would feel it the duty of that track to ban him. One is an accident, 2 a little bit more but 3 would be disturbing track record.
There is a video slowed down and brightened, it is tragic, but Tony Stewart is not at fault. If you look closely Kevin jumped onto the side of his car and was hanging on the wing at first I thought Stewart might have been being reckless but after seeing it brightened and in slow motion you can see that Kevin grabbed a hold of the wing of Stewart’s car which caused it to swerve to the right making it look as if he swerved towards him people need to start looking more closely before pointing fingers especially when it is something this tragic watch the slowed down and brightened version of it and you will see him holding on to the wing of the car and then slipping off and getting ran over everyone that has said anything negative about or to Tony Stewart should feel like crap and apologize.
Nope if you watch it again he drifts the car in his direction to hit him with the car and the guy tries to hang on so he doesn’t get ran over wow tony Stewart is a joke lol
I’m a dirt track racer myself he should of stayed in his car it’s the rules he did it to his self he should of went to the pits an took care of it then not getting out of his car an walk into traffic come on people I seen a kid get hit in Monet mo NOTHING HAPPENED BC HE WAS ON THE TRACK this is y they say STAY IN UR CAR INTILL ALL CARS ARE STOPED OR THE SAFTY CREW IS AT UR CAR Stewart is a very good racer everyone needs to shut there lips people who have never raced DONT KNOW WHAT THERE TALKING AB JUST BC HES WELL KNOWN PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE HIM LOOK BAD FUCK ALL U PEOPLE WHO NEVER BEEN IN A RACE CAR SHUT UR LIPS
By the time this Sheriff is done making things fit a great driver may have doubts can’t have that. My opinion the sheriff is trying blame someone else for this man’s own bad decision that got him killed . Sorry
Stewart is scrap driver and will get prosecuted and deserves every bit of it whether or not the guy was in the track or not everyone roar saw him and swerved out of his way Tony swerved into him so it’s all tonys fault
If he (Tony Stewart) were a novice driver it might be seen as ‘inexperience! BUT HE CANNOT MAKE THAT CLAIM FOR HIMSELF! He has been driving PROFESSIONALLY for many years! That means that HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING!
If you dissagree then you don’t understand what it means to be a professional driver!
You need to get the facts before you start talking crap about people. Kevin jumped onto Stewart’s car and was hanging on the wing of it before falling under the back wheel watch the slowed down and brightened version of the video and you will notice it. When anyone jumps onto the side of one of those cars its going to change the weight balance and cause it to change directions. Then he slipped off of it and got ran over Stewart is not at fault and is being blamed for something that he had no control over.
Tony swerved and drifted the car into Kevin and Kevin was holding on for life so he wouldn’t get ran over every other car in front of tonyb was able to swerve at the last minute so are you saying they are better drivers then tony lol hey your facts straight I drift s2000’s so I know what the beginning of a drift looks like and how the car corrects is self so yes Tony is completely at fault the gut held onto the wing to not get ran over tony swung the back of the car to hit him with the side of the car
Look. All of all, you can see Kevin walk in front of Tony’s car. There is no way he would’ve ran a 20 year old nobody over. He’s a top 5 legendary driver, That kid isn’t even worth his time. Do you think he’d want to miss Watkins Glen? Tony Stewart hold the record of number of wins on that track. Don’t hate on a man because a kid thought he could be cool getting out of his car just to show off how mad he is.
Everyone else was able to get out of the kids way at the last minute so are they better drivers then tony lol I’m guessing that’s a yes ora no then if no it was intentional
You know, not a Nascar fan, and not a fan of Tony. But I’m voting no. I watched the video, and I know what Nascar is and what it’s like. And I know that the now deceased racer was behaving far more recklessly than Tony was in this situation. All the heated things they’ve both said to each other aside, all the things Tony has done in the past, sure they can prove that he’s a hot head and reckless. They prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he’s a complete asshole. But a murderer? I don’t think so. At Nascar you have a large number of vehicles, designed to keep constant speeds of over 70 mph, going at those constant speeds on a track over about 30 laps. The driver’s of these vehicles are NOT the most attentive in the world, they drive with a single minded focus on passing whoever is in front of them and not running into whoever is behind them. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a reckless and dangerous sport by it’s very fundamental design. And it is not a sport that you should, in any situation, run out onto the track and scream at passing vehicles while pointing fingers at them., especially at night in a black racer’s outfit. That is like going to the Running of the Bulls with your friends/family, having one of them die being gored and trampled by a stampede of angry bulls, and and then trying to sue Mexico for having such a dangerous sport.
You race Nascar, you risk your life. You behave stupidly on a Nascar track, you put your life in even more jeopardy than it already is in. These are the facts. I do not believe Tony is liable because of the behavior directly exhibited by the now deceased driver up to that point. I sincerely doubt that ANY Nascar driver has superhuman sight and hearing, or some psychic 6th sense that would let him know that when he turns that corner at 70+ mph, another driver is going to be standing on the track trying to scream at him and getting in his way.
I’m tired of you so called race fans trying to hang Tony for crash First Of All Mr Ward did something he knew was wrong by trying to pass on the high side going in a turn knowing Tony couldn’t see on the blind side so Kevin wrecked him self. You can’t get mad at Tony It takes 13 seconds to go around this tracks how fast can you move.when your driving down a road at night and someone is walking on the side of road wearing black. To hard to see ha The pics you are brighten up so the pubic can see the crash its really dark in spots at these tracks so I believe Tony didn’t see him until the front tire passed him. When the caution came you look for the reason then you go low or high around the crash these cars you get one look then you can’t see any more on the right side this is why Kevin walked in front of Tony he knew this was the only way to see him I can only guess the flagmen didn’t see him or a red flag should have been displayed right The police has let this go to far and say what it is or come to Oshweken speedway in Ontario Canada we have a two seater and go for a ride you can’t see nothing to the right see for your self. will ask the speedway darking it like New York Speedway you will never see anyone walking in the shadows on the track. Shame on Nascar for allowing this to go on as they know what these cars are all about and the media is not doing there job in making sure that innocence comes before GUILTY SHAME ON YOU Sorry Tony We hope to see you in Canada Again Your An AMAZING Driver Thanks From The Canadians (From L.G. of Ontario Canada)
I know Tony seen him but Tony didn’t make him jump and hang from the wing of his car and then slip and fall under the back wheel. If people would pay attention to the person instead of what the car did they would notice that Kevin was riding on the side of Stewart’s car and holding onto the wing and that caused that 1,000 lb car to swerve right when he jumped onto it. Then he slipped and fell under the wheel, but people don’t look at all the facts before they judge and point fingers it wouldn’t have mattered if he seen him or not he didn’t make the guy jump and hold on to his car for 6 or 10 feet before slipping and falling under his wheel. The investigation should be over by now if anyone with a brain would pay attention to Kevin’s actions instead of the way the car moved, if you just look at the car it does appear that he hit him , but if you watch Kevin you see him hanging on the side of Stewart’s car which caused it to swerve to the right and then him slipping off after hanging on it for a few feet and falling under the wheel. People don’t investigate anymore they just blame. Its no one’s fault but Mr. Ward’s I can understand them being upset and wanting someone else to blame, but that’s not the case .
It’s just my personal opinion so don”t everyone jump all over me but I think Dale Ernhart Sr was more of a hot head & agressive driver than Tony Stewart is.
When you are racing doesn’t matter what kind, if you wreck you stay in the car until there is a flag to either stop or slow the cars down. You don’t walk around the track like an idiot yelling at people that probably can’t hear you fyi
1st I’ll be honest, I’ve been a nascar fan since I was 5 an I’m now 43. 2nd Look at the video, the 1st car that went by was going no slower than Tony, the caution flag had only been out for a few seconds. 3rd Find a pic of a outlaw/sprintcar from the back, you’ll see that you can’t see nothing in front of the car your following. 4th These cars are built to slide sideways through the corners so when you turn left the rear of the car kicks out to the right. (the same side Ward approached the car, unfortunately) The next time you are driving your vehicle at only 20 mph, imagine something in front of your car with only 25 to 30 feet warning. If you yank the wheel quickly to avoid the hazard you will feel the right rear of your car move to the right. These cars are made to kick out the right rear when turning left. Finally my 5th and last point.I was watching a Indycar race a few years ago, and during a pitstop a tire changer only had his sleeve touch a “cold” tire. When the driver left his pit stall, he wrapped his crew member up into a knot. It was also horrifying to see! The front of Tony’s car didn’t hit Ward, if his pant leg touched that “hot” rear tire, it would easily pull him into the car. Plus the right rear tire is about 3 feet tall or better. I’m not a big Stewart fan, I’m more of a Jeff Gordon / Kyle Bush fan, but lets be fair to all concerned. My best wishes to the Ward family!!!
#1 The video is not perfect evidence. If this had been a higher tier of racing with plenty of TV coverage, almost every car on the track would have MULTIPLE onboard cameras. All three of the major NASCAR and INDYCAR racing leagues have this. While their purpose is primarily to facilitate adequate and enjoyable TV coverage, they are also invaluable in post-race analysis when determining what caused an accident in the case of a tragedy.
#2 Some have indicated that they see Tony Stewart swerve and rev his engine as if he was intending to slide by Kevin Ward, Jr. to “scare” him. However, it’s also likely that as a HIGHLY EXPERIENCED dirt-track driver, Stewart knows that to wildly change the position of your car on a muddy dirt track, it means providing more power and drastically changing the angle of your car … but you can almost NEVER turn on a dime in these conditions.
#3 As part of the RULES of the sprint series in which Tony and Kevin were participating in, no spotters (with radios) or mirrors are allowed in the cars, which means that it’s entirely possible that Tony didn’t see Kevin Ward, Jr. out of his car until it was too late.
With #1, #2, and #3 taken into consideration, it’s far more LIKELY that Tony Stewart didn’t even SEE Kevin Ward, Jr. until it was far too late. If you watch closely, the car in front of Tony is coming around the track and Kevin steps towards it, which quite possibly made him disappear from Tony’s vision (if he’d even seen him before that). In which case, the engine rev and swerve most likely were Tony’s natural and fast reflexive training to try and avoid hitting Kevin Ward, Jr. But as anyone who has driven at speeds over 25mph in dense mud or gravel knows, when you jerk the wheel, the front end of the car turns, but the rear end slides — which is exactly what happened.
What’s more likely? That Tony Stewart got mad at a driver for no reason (after all, Kevin Ward wrecked, not Tony) and intentionally drove his car close and/or into a defenseless driver, using his car as a deadly weapon?? Or that Tony Stewart didn’t even see the driver wearing all black who got far too close to Tony’s driving path (putting himself and Tony in danger), swerved to try and avoid hitting him, and could not avoid the strike due to track conditions and proximity?
No … Tony doesn’t deserve to be punished legally. I’m sure he’s punishing himself for what happened, but the fact is … he really couldn’t have done anything different. It wasn’t Tony’s fault.
Every driver gets into those vehicles KNOWINGLY risking their own lives in the pursuit of victory/fame/riches/fun. As an avid racing fan and someone who has raced cars on both dirt and paved tracks, I’m not sure there was anything Tony could have done to avoid what happened. In the moments after a yellow flag flies, you are to slow down, stay in the groove (normal racing pattern unless otherwise indicated by track officials), and maintain your position. Tony was going no faster or slower than anyone else on the track at the time. He wasn’t driving any higher or lower on the track.
Once again, what happened was not Tony’s fault. I hate to blame the victim here, but if Kevin Ward, Jr. had done what you’re SUPPOSED to and stayed in a safe position in front of his car (technically, “behind” his car since it was facing the wrong direction, but “downtrack” from his car), he wouldn’t have gotten hit.
he’s not reponsible, Kevin ran out in anger, he got himself killed like a retard, should have stayed in the car or tried to walk off safely instead he was consumed by his anger and jumped in front of Tony Steward trying to mess him up.
As an amateur race car driver, we are always told at pre-race driver’s meetings that in the event of an accident or spin out, not to ever walk out on to the track. You either need to exit the car and climb over the guard rails, or stay in the car if you are injured and wait for the course marshals or safety crews to arrive. Running onto the track under any circumstances is a really dumb move, which in this case cost Kevin Ward his life.
Having said all this, a yellow flag means that there is an obstruction on the course, and you MUST slow down and be prepared to stop. There could be a car turned over, or even an injured driver on the track. Given this, Tony Stewart’s actions were HIGHLY negligent. As a veteran racer, he should have known not get so close to the driver, or be traveling at a speed where he could not stop or maneuver around the driver to avoid hitting him..
This leads me to believe that Tony Stewart’s actions were intentional. He is too much of a veteran to NOT know this. In the video, you can clearly see tire spin, and you can even hear the engine rev up, indicating that Tony Stewart intentionally tried to scare Kevin ward Jr.. Unfortunately, he miscalculated and the car hit the driver.
Was this murder.? I would say no, however if I were the prosecutor, I would argue that this was manslaughter. At BARE minimum it is involuntary manslaughter, because whether or not this was intended to scare Kevin Ward, there is no denying that the incident happened and someone is dead because of it. The only way I could see Tony Stewart getting away with this, is if Tony Stewart throws his celebrity status around and somehow gets off with a slap on the wrist, or if the defense can successfully argue that Kevin Ward committed suicide, which of course is ridiculous.
I think the video shown is way, way too small to give even a general idea of what happened.
There is a huge difference between avoiding a piece of wreckage or a fallen driver and avoiding an angry, moving person. In fact, when you are walking on the street you sometimes collide with other people. And a yellow flag does not mean 30 km/h, where you can stop on a dime. It means a hundred km/h or so. A strange obstacle that does totally unexpected just short-circuits your brain.
Race car drivers are highly specialized, incredibly driven people who instinctively take decisions in less than a tenth of a second that you need a whole second to process. You cannot expect foresight like “I just smashed this guy to the wall, he might come out of his car and walk directly into mine; I might want to go even slower than the yellow flag requires because I will not know if I have to avoid him on the left or the right; as soon as I see him, I might have to stop”.
First of all, a yellow flag does NOT mean 100km/hr. It means a safe speed where you can avoid obstacles or stop. Any faster and you are in violation of the yellow flag rules.
Secondly, watch the video AGAIN. Tony Steward clearly veers into Kevin Ward and even revs his engine before hand. Even if he had missed and Kevin Ward were still alive, he should have been ejected from the race for poor sportsmanship. But the fact of the matter is, his actions are at least partially if not fully responsible for the Ward’s death.
How can you say Tony revved his engine when the camera was on the other side of the track with a full field of cars on the track. There was more than two cars in the race. With that camera there is no way you’d hear Tony’s car with several cars driving by, with no mufflers I might add. Your hearing a closer and different car on the audio.
Actually. a Yellow means a safe speed it does not mean a crawl. A yellow here is normally about 50-65mph(80-120km/h) which is considred a safe speed on track compared to the 150 they can reach on a short short straight. They only drop to about 35mph when they bunch up on the backstretch for a restart. Shows how much you know about racing. Its a safe and reasonable speed. That doesnt mean stop and move at a crawl because theres a guy that might be running into the side of your car like an idiot.
I have been through enough driver’s meetings and course lectures to know that a yellow flag has no specific speed limit. It means to run at a safe speed for the conditions, and no overtaking. Sometimes its 60mph, sometimes its 2mph…it could even mean a complete stop if the conditions warrant it. A man of the track means that all drivers should have been traveling at a MUCH slower speed. what if he was lying in the middle of the track unconscious, do the drivers still drive at 60-85MPH? NO! Just because the other cars driving fast under yellow flag conditions doesn’t make it right. They were all in violation yellow flag rules then. I would even go as far assaying that a red flag should have been waved as soon as KW jumped onto the tracks, but ultimately its the drivers responsibility to watch out for, and avoid obstacles under these conditions. Jason308…watch the video again. Stewarts car’s wheel spinned, lost traction, and veered to left into Ward. You would have had to hit the accelerator to make the car behave like that. Under these conditions his foot should have been no where near the accelerator. Negligent! And totally at fault…no denying it.
Comments
let me start out by saying God bless the ward family. A lot has been said over the last week and I have watched and read a lot,. a lot been said about the lighting at the track I have raced at canandagua both in the modifieds and sprintcars never have I heard any driver complain about the lighting. never would a owner or promoter want poor lighting at there track as if something like this that has happened he would have to face a lawsuit and much has been said about kevin’s black fire suit , have raced against many black cars never had problem seeing them. now the dust problem well canandagua gets real hard slick surface in the middle with a grove on the bottom and a grove up on the cushion and if there is dust its gone after a few laps..Now a sprint car usually runs about 91 in. around on the left rear and 105 to 108 on the right rear that about 15 to 18 in. of stager and tony knew how the rear end of his car would act with that much stager when he punched the gas then maybe it was some other driver that punched his gas, no watch the brand name on his tire speed up do not believe tony tried to hit him but just try to scare him not realizing how close kevin was to his car but tony you are suppose to slow down not speed up during a caution..Kevin did in deed try to grab Tony’s wing only to try save his life but only to be sucked under his 18 in. right rear tire and be thrown 20 feet.,if tony had not hit his gas would Kevin of been thrown that far? I only pray that when Ontario sheriff office makes their findings they do it with God not the devil and not who tony stewart is! Kevin wanted to live his dream the same way tony has and now that’s been taken from him.
It is hard to see from this one view point but the front tires on these cars are slightly further out than the front. From what I see in slow motion, the rear tires slide slightly in towards the inside of the track as if he realized at the last moment that the guy was getting to close and he turns his front wheels towards the right, causing the rear tires to swerve to the left which would have brought the rear tires away from the Ward. Yes, the guy should not leave his car unless he was in more danger in the car than out, yes, he should not have made the movement towards Stewart, he should have at least went to the inside of the track to confront Stewart. A 1 ton vehicle is no fight that a human can win and yes, he should not have made that last minute movement even closer to Stewart as he came into view. If you watch, after 2 cars before Stewart came into view, Ward made an even closer movement towards Stewart and it looks like Stewart did not realize the guy was going to actually get that close and made a last ditch effort to swerve the wider part of the car, the rear tires, away from the guy but it was too late and he was to close.
One more thing, with what I said, if Stewart causes another wreck at the same dirt track again, I would feel it the duty of that track to ban him. One is an accident, 2 a little bit more but 3 would be disturbing track record.
There is a video slowed down and brightened, it is tragic, but Tony Stewart is not at fault. If you look closely Kevin jumped onto the side of his car and was hanging on the wing at first I thought Stewart might have been being reckless but after seeing it brightened and in slow motion you can see that Kevin grabbed a hold of the wing of Stewart’s car which caused it to swerve to the right making it look as if he swerved towards him people need to start looking more closely before pointing fingers especially when it is something this tragic watch the slowed down and brightened version of it and you will see him holding on to the wing of the car and then slipping off and getting ran over everyone that has said anything negative about or to Tony Stewart should feel like crap and apologize.
Nope if you watch it again he drifts the car in his direction to hit him with the car and the guy tries to hang on so he doesn’t get ran over wow tony Stewart is a joke lol
I’m a dirt track racer myself he should of stayed in his car it’s the rules he did it to his self he should of went to the pits an took care of it then not getting out of his car an walk into traffic come on people I seen a kid get hit in Monet mo NOTHING HAPPENED BC HE WAS ON THE TRACK this is y they say STAY IN UR CAR INTILL ALL CARS ARE STOPED OR THE SAFTY CREW IS AT UR CAR Stewart is a very good racer everyone needs to shut there lips people who have never raced DONT KNOW WHAT THERE TALKING AB JUST BC HES WELL KNOWN PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE HIM LOOK BAD FUCK ALL U PEOPLE WHO NEVER BEEN IN A RACE CAR SHUT UR LIPS
By the time this Sheriff is done making things fit a great driver may have doubts can’t have that. My opinion the sheriff is trying blame someone else for this man’s own bad decision that got him killed . Sorry
Stewart is scrap driver and will get prosecuted and deserves every bit of it whether or not the guy was in the track or not everyone roar saw him and swerved out of his way Tony swerved into him so it’s all tonys fault
If he (Tony Stewart) were a novice driver it might be seen as ‘inexperience! BUT HE CANNOT MAKE THAT CLAIM FOR HIMSELF! He has been driving PROFESSIONALLY for many years! That means that HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING!
If you dissagree then you don’t understand what it means to be a professional driver!
You need to get the facts before you start talking crap about people. Kevin jumped onto Stewart’s car and was hanging on the wing of it before falling under the back wheel watch the slowed down and brightened version of the video and you will notice it. When anyone jumps onto the side of one of those cars its going to change the weight balance and cause it to change directions. Then he slipped off of it and got ran over Stewart is not at fault and is being blamed for something that he had no control over.
Tony swerved and drifted the car into Kevin and Kevin was holding on for life so he wouldn’t get ran over every other car in front of tonyb was able to swerve at the last minute so are you saying they are better drivers then tony lol hey your facts straight I drift s2000’s so I know what the beginning of a drift looks like and how the car corrects is self so yes Tony is completely at fault the gut held onto the wing to not get ran over tony swung the back of the car to hit him with the side of the car
I agree with you completely. It was an unfortunate accident & Stewart is being used as the scape goat.
you are so stupid. YOU don’t understand what it means to be a professional driver!
Look. All of all, you can see Kevin walk in front of Tony’s car. There is no way he would’ve ran a 20 year old nobody over. He’s a top 5 legendary driver, That kid isn’t even worth his time. Do you think he’d want to miss Watkins Glen? Tony Stewart hold the record of number of wins on that track. Don’t hate on a man because a kid thought he could be cool getting out of his car just to show off how mad he is.
Everyone else was able to get out of the kids way at the last minute so are they better drivers then tony lol I’m guessing that’s a yes ora no then if no it was intentional
You know, not a Nascar fan, and not a fan of Tony. But I’m voting no. I watched the video, and I know what Nascar is and what it’s like. And I know that the now deceased racer was behaving far more recklessly than Tony was in this situation. All the heated things they’ve both said to each other aside, all the things Tony has done in the past, sure they can prove that he’s a hot head and reckless. They prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he’s a complete asshole. But a murderer? I don’t think so. At Nascar you have a large number of vehicles, designed to keep constant speeds of over 70 mph, going at those constant speeds on a track over about 30 laps. The driver’s of these vehicles are NOT the most attentive in the world, they drive with a single minded focus on passing whoever is in front of them and not running into whoever is behind them. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a reckless and dangerous sport by it’s very fundamental design. And it is not a sport that you should, in any situation, run out onto the track and scream at passing vehicles while pointing fingers at them., especially at night in a black racer’s outfit. That is like going to the Running of the Bulls with your friends/family, having one of them die being gored and trampled by a stampede of angry bulls, and and then trying to sue Mexico for having such a dangerous sport.
You race Nascar, you risk your life. You behave stupidly on a Nascar track, you put your life in even more jeopardy than it already is in. These are the facts. I do not believe Tony is liable because of the behavior directly exhibited by the now deceased driver up to that point. I sincerely doubt that ANY Nascar driver has superhuman sight and hearing, or some psychic 6th sense that would let him know that when he turns that corner at 70+ mph, another driver is going to be standing on the track trying to scream at him and getting in his way.
you are neither a fan of nascar nor tony stewart and yet you built that massive wall of text? can you tell me where you get your adderall?
I’m tired of you so called race fans trying to hang Tony for crash First Of All Mr Ward did something he knew was wrong by trying to pass on the high side going in a turn knowing Tony couldn’t see on the blind side so Kevin wrecked him self. You can’t get mad at Tony It takes 13 seconds to go around this tracks how fast can you move.when your driving down a road at night and someone is walking on the side of road wearing black. To hard to see ha The pics you are brighten up so the pubic can see the crash its really dark in spots at these tracks so I believe Tony didn’t see him until the front tire passed him. When the caution came you look for the reason then you go low or high around the crash these cars you get one look then you can’t see any more on the right side this is why Kevin walked in front of Tony he knew this was the only way to see him I can only guess the flagmen didn’t see him or a red flag should have been displayed right The police has let this go to far and say what it is or come to Oshweken speedway in Ontario Canada we have a two seater and go for a ride you can’t see nothing to the right see for your self. will ask the speedway darking it like New York Speedway you will never see anyone walking in the shadows on the track. Shame on Nascar for allowing this to go on as they know what these cars are all about and the media is not doing there job in making sure that innocence comes before GUILTY SHAME ON YOU Sorry Tony We hope to see you in Canada Again Your An AMAZING Driver Thanks From The Canadians (From L.G. of Ontario Canada)
I know Tony seen him but Tony didn’t make him jump and hang from the wing of his car and then slip and fall under the back wheel. If people would pay attention to the person instead of what the car did they would notice that Kevin was riding on the side of Stewart’s car and holding onto the wing and that caused that 1,000 lb car to swerve right when he jumped onto it. Then he slipped and fell under the wheel, but people don’t look at all the facts before they judge and point fingers it wouldn’t have mattered if he seen him or not he didn’t make the guy jump and hold on to his car for 6 or 10 feet before slipping and falling under his wheel. The investigation should be over by now if anyone with a brain would pay attention to Kevin’s actions instead of the way the car moved, if you just look at the car it does appear that he hit him , but if you watch Kevin you see him hanging on the side of Stewart’s car which caused it to swerve to the right and then him slipping off after hanging on it for a few feet and falling under the wheel. People don’t investigate anymore they just blame. Its no one’s fault but Mr. Ward’s I can understand them being upset and wanting someone else to blame, but that’s not the case .
It’s just my personal opinion so don”t everyone jump all over me but I think Dale Ernhart Sr was more of a hot head & agressive driver than Tony Stewart is.
Ban him from racing and give him some jail time
Your a moron
He was reckless as opposed to driving safely?
Yellow flag does make a huge difference.
When you are racing doesn’t matter what kind, if you wreck you stay in the car until there is a flag to either stop or slow the cars down. You don’t walk around the track like an idiot yelling at people that probably can’t hear you fyi
1st I’ll be honest, I’ve been a nascar fan since I was 5 an I’m now 43. 2nd Look at the video, the 1st car that went by was going no slower than Tony, the caution flag had only been out for a few seconds. 3rd Find a pic of a outlaw/sprintcar from the back, you’ll see that you can’t see nothing in front of the car your following. 4th These cars are built to slide sideways through the corners so when you turn left the rear of the car kicks out to the right. (the same side Ward approached the car, unfortunately) The next time you are driving your vehicle at only 20 mph, imagine something in front of your car with only 25 to 30 feet warning. If you yank the wheel quickly to avoid the hazard you will feel the right rear of your car move to the right. These cars are made to kick out the right rear when turning left. Finally my 5th and last point.I was watching a Indycar race a few years ago, and during a pitstop a tire changer only had his sleeve touch a “cold” tire. When the driver left his pit stall, he wrapped his crew member up into a knot. It was also horrifying to see! The front of Tony’s car didn’t hit Ward, if his pant leg touched that “hot” rear tire, it would easily pull him into the car. Plus the right rear tire is about 3 feet tall or better. I’m not a big Stewart fan, I’m more of a Jeff Gordon / Kyle Bush fan, but lets be fair to all concerned. My best wishes to the Ward family!!!
#1 The video is not perfect evidence. If this had been a higher tier of racing with plenty of TV coverage, almost every car on the track would have MULTIPLE onboard cameras. All three of the major NASCAR and INDYCAR racing leagues have this. While their purpose is primarily to facilitate adequate and enjoyable TV coverage, they are also invaluable in post-race analysis when determining what caused an accident in the case of a tragedy.
#2 Some have indicated that they see Tony Stewart swerve and rev his engine as if he was intending to slide by Kevin Ward, Jr. to “scare” him. However, it’s also likely that as a HIGHLY EXPERIENCED dirt-track driver, Stewart knows that to wildly change the position of your car on a muddy dirt track, it means providing more power and drastically changing the angle of your car … but you can almost NEVER turn on a dime in these conditions.
#3 As part of the RULES of the sprint series in which Tony and Kevin were participating in, no spotters (with radios) or mirrors are allowed in the cars, which means that it’s entirely possible that Tony didn’t see Kevin Ward, Jr. out of his car until it was too late.
With #1, #2, and #3 taken into consideration, it’s far more LIKELY that Tony Stewart didn’t even SEE Kevin Ward, Jr. until it was far too late. If you watch closely, the car in front of Tony is coming around the track and Kevin steps towards it, which quite possibly made him disappear from Tony’s vision (if he’d even seen him before that). In which case, the engine rev and swerve most likely were Tony’s natural and fast reflexive training to try and avoid hitting Kevin Ward, Jr. But as anyone who has driven at speeds over 25mph in dense mud or gravel knows, when you jerk the wheel, the front end of the car turns, but the rear end slides — which is exactly what happened.
What’s more likely? That Tony Stewart got mad at a driver for no reason (after all, Kevin Ward wrecked, not Tony) and intentionally drove his car close and/or into a defenseless driver, using his car as a deadly weapon?? Or that Tony Stewart didn’t even see the driver wearing all black who got far too close to Tony’s driving path (putting himself and Tony in danger), swerved to try and avoid hitting him, and could not avoid the strike due to track conditions and proximity?
No … Tony doesn’t deserve to be punished legally. I’m sure he’s punishing himself for what happened, but the fact is … he really couldn’t have done anything different. It wasn’t Tony’s fault.
Every driver gets into those vehicles KNOWINGLY risking their own lives in the pursuit of victory/fame/riches/fun. As an avid racing fan and someone who has raced cars on both dirt and paved tracks, I’m not sure there was anything Tony could have done to avoid what happened. In the moments after a yellow flag flies, you are to slow down, stay in the groove (normal racing pattern unless otherwise indicated by track officials), and maintain your position. Tony was going no faster or slower than anyone else on the track at the time. He wasn’t driving any higher or lower on the track.
Once again, what happened was not Tony’s fault. I hate to blame the victim here, but if Kevin Ward, Jr. had done what you’re SUPPOSED to and stayed in a safe position in front of his car (technically, “behind” his car since it was facing the wrong direction, but “downtrack” from his car), he wouldn’t have gotten hit.
he’s not reponsible, Kevin ran out in anger, he got himself killed like a retard, should have stayed in the car or tried to walk off safely instead he was consumed by his anger and jumped in front of Tony Steward trying to mess him up.
As an amateur race car driver, we are always told at pre-race driver’s meetings that in the event of an accident or spin out, not to ever walk out on to the track. You either need to exit the car and climb over the guard rails, or stay in the car if you are injured and wait for the course marshals or safety crews to arrive. Running onto the track under any circumstances is a really dumb move, which in this case cost Kevin Ward his life.
Having said all this, a yellow flag means that there is an obstruction on the course, and you MUST slow down and be prepared to stop. There could be a car turned over, or even an injured driver on the track. Given this, Tony Stewart’s actions were HIGHLY negligent. As a veteran racer, he should have known not get so close to the driver, or be traveling at a speed where he could not stop or maneuver around the driver to avoid hitting him..
This leads me to believe that Tony Stewart’s actions were intentional. He is too much of a veteran to NOT know this. In the video, you can clearly see tire spin, and you can even hear the engine rev up, indicating that Tony Stewart intentionally tried to scare Kevin ward Jr.. Unfortunately, he miscalculated and the car hit the driver.
Was this murder.? I would say no, however if I were the prosecutor, I would argue that this was manslaughter. At BARE minimum it is involuntary manslaughter, because whether or not this was intended to scare Kevin Ward, there is no denying that the incident happened and someone is dead because of it. The only way I could see Tony Stewart getting away with this, is if Tony Stewart throws his celebrity status around and somehow gets off with a slap on the wrist, or if the defense can successfully argue that Kevin Ward committed suicide, which of course is ridiculous.
I think the video shown is way, way too small to give even a general idea of what happened.
There is a huge difference between avoiding a piece of wreckage or a fallen driver and avoiding an angry, moving person. In fact, when you are walking on the street you sometimes collide with other people. And a yellow flag does not mean 30 km/h, where you can stop on a dime. It means a hundred km/h or so. A strange obstacle that does totally unexpected just short-circuits your brain.
Race car drivers are highly specialized, incredibly driven people who instinctively take decisions in less than a tenth of a second that you need a whole second to process. You cannot expect foresight like “I just smashed this guy to the wall, he might come out of his car and walk directly into mine; I might want to go even slower than the yellow flag requires because I will not know if I have to avoid him on the left or the right; as soon as I see him, I might have to stop”.
First of all, a yellow flag does NOT mean 100km/hr. It means a safe speed where you can avoid obstacles or stop. Any faster and you are in violation of the yellow flag rules.
Secondly, watch the video AGAIN. Tony Steward clearly veers into Kevin Ward and even revs his engine before hand. Even if he had missed and Kevin Ward were still alive, he should have been ejected from the race for poor sportsmanship. But the fact of the matter is, his actions are at least partially if not fully responsible for the Ward’s death.
How can you say Tony revved his engine when the camera was on the other side of the track with a full field of cars on the track. There was more than two cars in the race. With that camera there is no way you’d hear Tony’s car with several cars driving by, with no mufflers I might add. Your hearing a closer and different car on the audio.
Actually. a Yellow means a safe speed it does not mean a crawl. A yellow here is normally about 50-65mph(80-120km/h) which is considred a safe speed on track compared to the 150 they can reach on a short short straight. They only drop to about 35mph when they bunch up on the backstretch for a restart. Shows how much you know about racing. Its a safe and reasonable speed. That doesnt mean stop and move at a crawl because theres a guy that might be running into the side of your car like an idiot.
I have been through enough driver’s meetings and course lectures to know that a yellow flag has no specific speed limit. It means to run at a safe speed for the conditions, and no overtaking. Sometimes its 60mph, sometimes its 2mph…it could even mean a complete stop if the conditions warrant it. A man of the track means that all drivers should have been traveling at a MUCH slower speed. what if he was lying in the middle of the track unconscious, do the drivers still drive at 60-85MPH? NO! Just because the other cars driving fast under yellow flag conditions doesn’t make it right. They were all in violation yellow flag rules then. I would even go as far assaying that a red flag should have been waved as soon as KW jumped onto the tracks, but ultimately its the drivers responsibility to watch out for, and avoid obstacles under these conditions. Jason308…watch the video again. Stewarts car’s wheel spinned, lost traction, and veered to left into Ward. You would have had to hit the accelerator to make the car behave like that. Under these conditions his foot should have been no where near the accelerator. Negligent! And totally at fault…no denying it.