Tony Stewart hits and kills fellow racer

This. Pretty much what I posted earlier.

Blue car CLEARLY swerves before TS hits Ward. Ward aggressively runs over, putting himself in clear danger.

Too many have already convicted TS in their minds...seeing what they want to see. I'm NOT a fan of TS, but to conclude ANY intent is irresponsible.

Only fact we know is Ward walked on a track with fast moving cars when he shouldn't have. Flat out stupid.

I hope they ban this activity - it's moronic and dangerous. You pull a stunt like this, 1 year ban. PERIOD.

 

AGREED 100%.

 

I think it's plausible TS tried to scare the kid or whatever, I just don't think we can convict based on the video or prior events.

Mark

 

I'm certainly not condoning Ward's actions. And, I think the sanctioning bodies should be taking conduct like this (tantrums, throwing helmets, punching, etc.) very seriously, too.

But, by limiting the analysis of this incident to just the footage itself, we also don't know the pre-amble for the context. We also don't know what was being said on the radios. We really don't know much of anything at this point.

I think there's a very believable explanation offered: that TS intended to engage with Ward, there was a miscalculation and it ended badly. I also find it's also equally believable that TS didn't see him in time.

There's simply not enough to conclude one over the other at this point, yet. I don't see a criminal conviction without more, and I'm not even sure I see a large award in a civil suit without more.

CW

 

Musta been all the soda cookies. What a mess

 

I'm not saying Ward was stupid, but what he did certainly was. I really feel that all licensing bodies everywhere should take a zero tolerance stance on this kind of macho display on an active race course. If you feel compelled to get out of your car and waltz onto an active race track to confront another driver you should instantly lose your race license. Period. Done. Good bye.

 

Agreed. I would be surprised if something wasn't done across all motorsports after this incident.

 

kind of like they fixed things in world rally events...the spectators are so well contained.

 

Did the 45 swerve to miss the young driver, by his own words?
Was TS car less than a second behind the #45?
Did the driver behind TS say he couldn't the guy standing on the track?

How can everyone assume that TS was the only person that could see the guy on track and with forethought and malice, tried to rooster tail the guy to 'teach him a lesson'? Especially since the 45 was directly in front of TS. IS it even possible that the 45 blocked the line of sight?

If he was right behind the 45, you only has a fraction of a second to see why he swerved, process what to do, and make the correct changes.

 

… a professional bloodsport, the only place on God’s green acre human beings are free from common law, and free from financial responsibility is, organized motor sport. Just so long as you’re on-track, in a racing car, you may help yourself, nerfing fellow competitors to their death for your amusement and merriment, no consequence to yourself, whatsoever.

Tony Stewart’s been around long enough to know the ins and outs; what he can get away with; what he can’t. Were Tony Stewart to have murdered a driver of equal or greater stature, someone with a significant fan base, perhaps outcry would have been sufficient to prompt intervention from outside motor sport. That it's just a 20 year old kid he ran down, like a dog, no worries. Tony Stewart will be living the high life, shirking it off, laughing it up all the way to the bank, walking away from this thing scoff-free, snickering under his breath no one ever the wiser, smirking how he snuffed-out this Kevin Ward kid, secretly joking to his people how he used him for traction.

Dog-eat-dog. Not a darned thing anyone can do about it — asj.

 

Because, normally, when drivers come out of their car the way Ward did, something took place on-track to give rise to that kind of conduct. Ward was fingering TS as the other party. So, when TS came around again, if there was something going on, maybe they were looking for one another. There's a history of some drivers having a reputation (Earnhardt Sr. comes to mind) for putting other guys "in their place".

It's a very credible explanation. It doesn't mean that's what happened beyond a reasonable doubt, however. I certainly don't think TS intended to injure or kill Ward. Even if he did intend to give him a scare. And, I'm not saying he did. But, just maybe you give him too much benefit of the doubt.

No one is rushing to judgment saying they should string TS up, charge and execute him. This is merely a discussion about what might explain such an occurrence.

CW

 

quite the extreme point of view. 'smirking how he snuffed-out this Kevin Ward kid, secretly joking to his people how he used him for traction.'

 

Everyone is making the assumption TS even saw him.

Plus I saw the video, they went in to the corner side -by -side, the younger guy got pushed into the wall. Why does everyone assume TS EVEN know the young drive was hot about it.

People are guessing that TS drove him into the wall, that HE KNOW ward was upset, that he saw ward and with forethought he hit the gas to try and scare him.

When I view the video, I see two cars go into the corner, one ended up in the wall. Very common in dirtrack racing. Happens every race. I see a driver acting very foolishly, walking into the path of oncoming cars into a dark corner. I see one car almost strike him, and in less than a second another car does as Ward walks angrily into the cars.

What lesson did TS have to teach? Ward was already wrecked out? I've been watching auto racing for 30+ years. After you wreck, someone, if TS did in fact wreck him, you don't go try and teach him another lesson... doesn't make sense to me. Because by wrecking him you already taught the lesson.

Unless I want to blame anyone but the driver that despite his training gets out of his car and walks into traffic.

 

You seem to be having some trouble with this idea, but no one has convicted TS of anything. The fact that there's a discussion about whether it was intentional means he's going to be thrown to the lions? It does not.

Rather, I think it can be said that you make assumptions, too. You make an assumption that he didn't see him. You make an assumption that he didn't want to give him a scare or teach him a lesson. Maybe we'll know more after the investigation, but drivers just don't come out of their cars and jump in front of other cars on the track because they're so happy with the other driver.

And, I don't know if you're playing dumb on the last para, but you attempt to call anyone's intent who feels otherwise into question? Come on, now.

What lesson? How about to respect TS, who's a successful, wealthy team owner and driver as opposed to a 20yo who may never make it out of the minors? How about not to get in TS' way again and let TS through when he comes knocking? How about not to challenge TS on the track? How about not to run in front of TS' car, because TS doesn't stop for anyone and if you do, you'll get a face-full of dirt?

You assume as much about this as anyone.

CW

 

What I am not assuming it driver of the 45 had to swerve to miss him, and the driver behind TS didn't see him.

TS drives sprint cars for fun, I ASSUME he does it to help the upcoming drives, not teach them lessons in vengeance.

 

I agree completely, so what I don't see, is the why TS would feel the need to teach another lesson. I would think if I ran someone up into the wall, I'd be a little humble on the lap around so as to not look like the bad guy.

The few questions I've asked repeatedly to the side that feels TS was teaching a lesson or trying to scare him, but no one will answer, is how come the driver in front and behind TS words have no weight with you guys? The first said he had to swerve to miss him (could that have blocked TS's sight) The second guy said he didn't see the guy. Some how TS did, and drove at him, to remind him not to get in his way.. again..

 

I will say this, I do think the only person that will ever truly know, is Tony. He'll have to live with it for the rest of his life.

 

I don't know what you want.

I can't say what TS saw or didn't see. I can't say what TS thought or didn't think. We're trying to divine intent out of his actions.

What TS saw v. what the others drivers saw are two different things. And, Ward intentionally tried to put himself in front of TS' car. I don't think he was intending to commit suicide. Rather, I think he was intending to express his displeasure with TS. He should not have put himself in that situation. But, he did. And, TS couldn't/didn't avoid him. Under a yellow flag (I think I recall reading that). The other drivers were able to. So, did TS not see him or was it something else altogether?

CW

 

As a professional driver, I think you have to consider, reconcile and accept that racing is a dangerous sport. Thus, drivers can (indeed have to?) rationalize a lot of their decisions away.

Maybe this will bother him. Obviously, he didn't intend to hurt Ward, so without that intent (the malice in the heart), he may be able to move easily past a lot of things (including this).

But, it's true that only TS knows the truth about what was going through his head at that very moment and leading up to it.

CW

 

It looks like Stewart had swerved to avoid him. Unless that's from his car starting to swap out from underneath him. This could have totally been avoided.
Why on earth you'd get out of your car on a race track with out the official vehicle around is just stupid. Did this guy think he was Kyle Busche or something?
I cant see Stewart wanting to ruin everything he's achieved in his life to teach some kid a lesson.
Just seems like a tragic mistake by a young man who let his emotions get to him vs thinking rationally.

 

I agree, and but this was, literally, a split-second decision. There could have been a bit of ego seeping in. It can happen.

CW

 

What is everyone's opinion of the incident that caused the anger on the first lap of the video? It looks like at 0:08 in the video Tony briefly turns his wheels full lock to the right to put him into the wall. I would guess some opposite lock is normal on dirt, but it really looks like a very calculated move to take him out. Is this normal or legal in sprint car?

It's difficult to see in the jerky YouTube version but a little easier to see what happens in the video in this article (same video, just runs smoother than YouTube on my computer at least) (Video: Tony Stewart Runs Over Driver During Confrontation, Killing Him).

 

From this perspective, to me, it looks like Ward went deeper into the corner, went wide as a result, and was off the line and pushed out into the marbles, at which time he just ran out of track and drifted into the wall. But, I'm not a dirt track racer, so someone who is can comment on what the proper line might be.

I don't see anything in the video to indicate there's a battle royale going on between the two of them. However, what might have happened prior to the start of the video, I have no idea.

CW

 

Here is a freeze frame of the point I am talking about at about 0:08. Tony seems to have already made the corner but then he flicks the steering wheel to a hard right for just a second to hit the other car. It seems more like a deliberate move to take him out than being part of negotiating the turn, but I don't know anything about dirt racing:
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No matter who is responsible for what ensued the tragedy would have been avoided if he hadn't been in the track. That sort of idiocy has no place in racing.