WARNING: I would not recommend watching the video, just read the article. Of course, you might have already heard about this

Video: Tony Stewart Runs Over Driver During Confrontation, Killing Him (http://deadspin.com/reports-tony-stewart-ran-over-opposing-driver-during-1618893708)

This is a tragedy and I have no interest in watching the video for myself so will wait for authorities to complete their investigation but I hope this was just an accident. Getting out of the car and confronting another driver who is still driving in their car on the track is a regular occurrence during a NASCAR race and honestly I am surprised someone hasn't been killed doing this a long time ago. The chance of survival being hit by a car doing 45 mph is almost nill, and even on a caution lap race cars are still going way over that.

This whole redneck mentality needs to be addressed.

Most all rednecks, just like most other folk, are taught by their mamas at a young age not to run into a busy street.
Being stupid is something different, and it often ends poorly for someone.

This whole redneck mentality needs to be addressed.

That's not helpful. Do you feel the same way when Formula 1 drivers are killed or does the body style of the race car factor into your level of compassion?

The mentality that cheers on people exiting their race car and trying to fight other drivers.

As you've said earlier it's a very common occurrence and I'm also surprised others haven't been killed.

The mentality that cheers on people exiting their race car and trying to fight other drivers.

Well that mentality certainly isn't limited to 'rednecks' in America. Europeans love auto-racing and the NE is full of hockey fans.

nm

You don't see this inbred fighting at every other European race event either.

There are some very serious problems within that community that they need to address.

It wasn't NASCAR. It was a sprint car race in upstate New York. There's definitely some blame for Ward in his own death; he angrily ran out onto an active track to angrily gesture at Stewart, who had just put him into the wall. But after watching the video and owing to Stewart's past, I think it's pretty obvious Stewart lit the tires as he drove by, which caused the fishtail that took the guy out.

I'm sure he wasn't trying to kill or even hurt him, but he was probably trying to teach him a lesson, chicken-style. It didn't work out. After reading a bit about the incident this AM, I think at the very least a manslaughter charge is a real possibility.

I think that "Contributory Negligence" will play a significant role in determining any guilt in this particular situation. I also think that Mr. Stewart's racing license could--and maybe should--be suspended for life. But, of course, this should be determined by a jury of his peers. Redneck or otherwise.

It wasn't NASCAR. It was a sprint car race in upstate New York. There's definitely some blame for Ward in his own death; he angrily ran out onto an active track to angrily gesture at Stewart, who had just put him into the wall. But after watching the video and owing to Stewart's past, I think it's pretty obvious Stewart lit the tires as he drove by, which caused the fishtail that took the guy out.

I'm sure he wasn't trying to kill or even hurt him, but he was probably trying to teach him a lesson, chicken-style. It didn't work out. After reading a bit about the incident this AM, I think at the very least a manslaughter charge is a real possibility.

Probably trying to give the guy a dirt shower.

I think that "Contributory Negligence" will play a significant role in determining any guilt in this particular situation. I also think that Mr. Stewart's racing license could--and maybe should--be suspended for life. But, of course, this should be determined by a jury of his peers. Redneck or otherwise.

I'll wait for the investigation to conclude before I say he should be suspended for life. Accidents happen on a race track all the time and if a driver is stupid enough to get out of his car and go down on the tract when the cars are still running shouldn't be surprised when he gets hit.

Edit: I forgot to offer my thoughts and prayers to the drivers family.

I think I'll wait for the investigation to conclude, too.
We certainly don't want a "Sprint to Justice" here . . .

I have to disagree. Dirt track racing is a whole different animal than hard track. The groove becomes hard as concrete and slick as glass. The cars are steered by the power at the rear wheels. The front wheels just guide them. After watching the clip multiple times, it is plain to see that Ward was hit in the area of the the right rear wheel. Not the front of the car. Stewart punched it, and fishtailed to the left, not to the right. He clearly tried to to steer around Ward who was leaning in with his gestures. Ward ran into traffic. If he would have stayed in his car, till traffic was cleared he would still be here.

man I miss the races. Must be a redneck.

The mentality that cheers on people exiting their race car and trying to fight other drivers.

As you've said earlier it's a very common occurrence and I'm also surprised others haven't been killed.

Classic........ Yeah, when I'm on the south side and see two Hispanics, two Blacks, or pick your non-white redneck race getting into a fight in a parking lot, etc. those non-rednecks standing around watching are all yelling "C'mon guys, lets all just hug this out."

Its an unfortunate reality of human nature for a large portion of the population - labeling it a 'red neck' (or 'that community') thing simply shows your ignorance/bias.

God, that's one gruesome video. Comments on this event in other venues are running about 4:1 in favor of Tony Stewart being lynched on live TV. Of course, everyone on the internet is a lawyer, but I've seen 2nd and 3rd degree murder, manslaughter, etc, along with every other Law and Order buzz phrase (depraved indifference being chief among them).

Stewart may well be a douche, but the only time you should exit onto a live track is if your own vehicle is on fire.

I will have nightmares about that, I'm surprised it's still out there, but there's no doubt that he was dead way before he stopped rolling. A horrifying and pointless tragedy.

I don't think the video is conclusive one way or the other. Probably shouldn't run out onto the track in a race.

With all due respect, can one of you first responders answer this question? Several of the comments I've seen are similar in content to "oh damn, just look at the reactions of the first guys on scene..."

All I see is lots of activity around him, so...

When you watch the video, start and stop it as Ward and Stewart go into turn #1. They are both going going for it. Ward goes in high to begin with and winds up outside of the groove. Stewart goes in on the middle of the groove but slides up to the top of the groove and looses some momentum as he picks his line going into turn 2. Ward is set to pass at the top but looses traction because he's up in the marbles, and Stewart pulls away. At that instant, there could have been brief contact between Stewarts right rear wheel and Wards left front. Hard to tell.. . By that time Ward was right next to the wall and you can clearly see his right rear fishtail into the wall. It's quite possible that Stewart didn't even know that Ward was out of it untill he came back around.

Start stop and rewind again... Ward runs out on the track and down into the groove. He actually steps farther down as he #45 car goes past, and then starts back up as Stewart comes around. I know authorites and experts will sort it all out but from this angle, it looks like just a tragic accident. It would be interesting to see if there are any other videos from different angles.

That's not helpful. Do you feel the same way when Formula 1 drivers are killed or does the body style of the race car factor into your level of compassion?
Ayrton Senna was the last F1 driver to die during a race weekend, Roland Ratzenberger died the same weekend during qualifying at Imola in 1994. Rubens Barichello was injured during Friday practice.

I was always taught to stay in the car on a hot track until safety crews/corner workers arrived on the scene unless the car was on fire. As rezman stated, dirt track cars are much different than any other type of race car, they are direct drive and have staggered tires so you end up steering with the throttle. With the wings, roll cage, seats and HANS devices the visibility is horrible. Also add in the factor that most dirt track lighting makes a rec league softball field look like it is lit like a major league park. You also don't expect someone walking down the track in all black with a black car behind them into your path, in fact the car in front of Stewart probably blocked his view of Ward walking down the track. If he hadn't of had a hot headed response and got out of the car it would have been nothing more than a racing incident, looked like Ward got into the marbles and lost it into the wall, it happens all the time in racing, no need to go off on anyone but yourself. Too many drivers (and not just in Nascar) go ballistic and blame everyone but themselves when they screw up. Maybe it will make some of the Nascar drivers think twice before going out onto a track to "stare down" a driver in a 3,800 pound car but I have also seen a little bit of it club racing (cars or motorcycles) and it is usually by the young hot heads whose perception of their talent far exceeds their skills.

I don't think the video is conclusive one way or the other. Probably shouldn't run out onto the track in a race.
I agree, bad cell phone video is hardly definitive proof.

God, that's one gruesome video. Comments on this event in other venues are running about 4:1 in favor of Tony Stewart being lynched on live TV. Of course, everyone on the internet is a lawyer, but I've seen 2nd and 3rd degree murder, manslaughter, etc, along with every other Law and Order buzz phrase (depraved indifference being chief among them).

Stewart may well be a douche, but the only time you should exit onto a live track is if your own vehicle is on fire.

I will have nightmares about that, I'm surprised it's still out there, but there's no doubt that he was dead way before he stopped rolling. A horrifying and pointless tragedy.

I wonder what those people who want to lynch Tony Stewart think of the drivers who kill 4,280 and injury over 70,000 pedestrians every year. My guess is they blame the pedestrians.

I wonder what those people who want to lynch Tony Stewart think of the drivers who kill 4,280 and injury over 70,000 pedestrians every year. My guess is they blame the pedestrians.
There has been a problem with auto/pedestrian crashes up here, especially the hit and run variety. In some cases the pedestrian shares some culpability, trying to cross wide streets (like Federal near Mile High Stadium) late at night in the dark and not crossing at a crosswalk when there is one only 40 or so feet away. We see that often heading home from work when going out on East Colfax, they cross anywhere and stand in the middle left turn lane (in dark clothing) waiting for traffic to clear. It happens more after daylight savings time when it can be dark outside by 5:00 in the evening.

Those situations still don't absolve the driver if they flee the scene, usually the reasons they flee are related to DUI, no license/insurance, warrants, immigration status, etc.

I almost hit some people earlier this summer. I was driving down Bryant in Del City at night, and that part of the street is 2 lanes and very poorly lit. I was doing the speed limit (40), and these three morons were walking down the middle of my lane, dressed all in black. Even with my headlights, I didn't see them until I was about 20 feet away. Fortunately, I was driving down the center of the street because I know where all the potholes are on that road. By the time I realized there were people in the road, I was already passing them. Must have missed them by about 3 feet. Morons didn't even react.

Sometimes people don't give cars the respect they deserve. Maybe it's familiarity. Familiarity leads to stupidity.

http://paulatohlinecalhoun1951.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/shark-5.jpg

When you watch the video, start and stop it as Ward and Stewart go into turn #1. They are both going going for it. Ward goes in high to begin with and winds up outside of the groove. Stewart goes in on the middle of the groove but slides up to the top of the groove and looses some momentum as he picks his line going into turn 2. Ward is set to pass at the top but looses traction because he's up in the marbles, and Stewart pulls away. At that instant, there could have been brief contact between Stewarts right rear wheel and Wards left front. Hard to tell.. . By that time Ward was right next to the wall and you can clearly see his right rear fishtail into the wall. It's quite possible that Stewart didn't even know that Ward was out of it untill he came back around.

Start stop and rewind again... Ward runs out on the track and down into the groove. He actually steps farther down as he #45 car goes past, and then starts back up as Stewart comes around. I know authorites and experts will sort it all out but from this angle, it looks like just a tragic accident. It would be interesting to see if there are any other videos from different angles.

I am sure he knew he was out of it.. yellow flag was up
It will be interesting to see this outcome. he should have never entered the track for sure.. however I don't think Tony Stewart was trying to run him down but revved engine to most likely shower with dirt and failed miserably. bad attitudes from them both resulted in a senseless death. my thoughts are with his family.

I think he should get the death penalty to set an example to the rest of them. Two idiots tying to out idiot each other.

Pedestrians walking at night is a big issue, but the bigger issue is outdriving your headlights regardless of what the speed limit is. Not to sidetrack this thread but driving faster than the minimum stopping distance of your car is the fault of the driver and it doesn't matter if it is a pedestrian dressed in black or a downed tree - or in my case a dog. If it takes you 5 seconds to come to a complete stop and your headlights can only see 3 seconds down the road you are going to fast.

I am sure he knew he was out of it.. yellow flag was up
It will be interesting to see this outcome. he should have never entered the track for sure.. however I don't think Tony Stewart was trying to run him down but revved engine to most likely shower with dirt and failed miserably. bad attitudes from them both resulted in a senseless death. my thoughts are with his family.

Yep, yellow came up, but I'll bet he didn't know for sure who was out until he came back around. Dirt track races happen all over the country. And there have been many incidents like this where someone was hurt or killed, and you never hear anything about it. This is only big new because Tony Stewart has notoriety and money. I'm not a NASCAR, or Tony Stewart fan by any means, but I do enjoy open wheel dirt track racing. The lynch mob mentality that has taken place over this in other places amazes me. I'm glad I haven't seen much of that here where cooler heads seem to prevail.

A more accurate headline should read, " Race Car Driver Kevin Ward Walks Into Active Race Track And Gets Run Over" .

A more accurate headline should read, " Race Car Driver Kevin Ward Walks Into Active Race Track And Gets Run Over" .

Our local media, being so close to World Center of Racing to our south, has been all over this and it infuriates me to end when I hear them say something stupid like 'Tony Stewart has been involved in several incidents of race track rage' as if he was reenacting a scene from Death Race 2000. Kevin Ward is the one who was exhibiting the racetrack rage and paid the ultimate and sad price for it.

For those who don't know what Death Race 2000 is, here you go.

o6LahtrxVhg

Pedestrians walking at night is a big issue, but the bigger issue is outdriving your headlights regardless of what the speed limit is. Not to sidetrack this thread but driving faster than the minimum stopping distance of your car is the fault of the driver and it doesn't matter if it is a pedestrian dressed in black or a downed tree - or in my case a dog. If it takes you 5 seconds to come to a complete stop and your headlights can only see 3 seconds down the road you are going to fast.

Could see everything else just fine. At the risk of sounding like Yogi Berra, you don't know what you can't see until you don't see it.

You don't see this inbred fighting at every other European race event either.

There are some very serious problems within that community that they need to address.

Inbred? That's a bigoted statement.

FYI Hoyasooner - when I was saying 'you' in my last post, I didn't mean you specifically, I meant 'you' in the general term of anyone reading it.

Hey, no problem. By the way, Death Race 2000 is a great movie.

You don't see this inbred fighting at every other European race event either.

There are some very serious problems within that community that they need to address.

No, Europeans just kill each other stampeding at soccer games. Geeez....

ylouder, you're aware that this race/accident took place in north central/northwest New York, right? I've met a few of those folks and while there's a lot you might call them, 'redneck' is not the particular appellation that comes to mind. You seem to be seeking a circumstance over which to superimpose your bias.

As has been pointed out to you, soccer matches routinely result in riots and murders, destruction of property, etc, so rabid fan(atic)s aren't the exclusive province either of Americans or 'rednecks' or NASCAR. Remember the guy at the Cubs game who reached over and caught the baseball while it was in play, then has had to basically disappear for a decade because of death threats?

It just so happens that, with perhaps the exception of bull riding or bull-outrunning, the sports by and large don't have a situation where you can die if you run onto the playing field while the game is underway.

And fans are usually going to whoop it up more loudly when the contestants go at each other. That's a spot where our civilized veneer is applied quite thinly.

ylouder, you're aware that this race/accident took place in north central/northwest New York, right? I've met a few of those folks and while there's a lot you might call them, 'redneck' is not the particular appellation that comes to mind. You seem to be seeking a circumstance over which to superimpose your bias.




I'm very aware of where it took place and used to be a indy racing fan.

What im referring too is that over about the last 10 years more and more instances of these side shows taking place. At one time racing (even on dirt track) used to be civil but now its cluttered up with WWE style drama and chest pounding playing up to the redneck subculture of constant confrontation (regardless of state). I understand rivalries and being pissed about crashing but to get out onto the track and try to physically challenge someone in a metal box going 60 miles per hour is beyond stupid.

Our local media, being so close to World Center of Racing to our south, has been all over this and it infuriates me to end when I hear them say something stupid like 'Tony Stewart has been involved in several incidents of race track rage' as if he was reenacting a scene from Death Race 2000. Kevin Ward is the one who was exhibiting the racetrack rage and paid the ultimate and sad price for it.

For those who don't know what Death Race 2000 is, here you go.

Only Tony Stewart knows what his own intentions really were; could he have been attempting to send a message to that fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr., who knows?

It is Stewart's conscience that will be plagued with reliving this incident for the rest of his life.

Cowlishaw: What we can learn after Tony Stewart killed driver on track | Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/tim-cowlishaw/20140810-cowlishaw-what-we-can-learn-after-tony-stewart-killed-driver-on-track.ece)

NASCAR Fontana 2013 -- Drivers Tony Stewart & Joey Logano FIGHT | Celebrity Videos | TMZ.com (http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_qvqpq8gd/)

Talladega Crash Video 2012 Tony Stewart Takes Blame for Massive 25 Car Pileup... ...https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KIo9c0KelTsDAAOPv7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBzMm Q2MHUwBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMTc-?p=Tony+Stewart%27s+previous+road+rages&vid=d766243cb2bf737854582eee4ade0cde&l=2%3A19&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.6 08009649575169813%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtY 41W__Xyt0&tit=Talladega+Crash+Video+2012+%3Cb%3ETony+Stewart +%3C%2Fb%3ETakes+Blame+for+Massive+25+Car+Pileup&c=16&sigr=11asjhnsf&sigt=12kus766h&age=0&&tt=b


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I'm very aware of where it took place and used to be a indy racing fan.

I understand rivalries and being pissed about crashing but to get out onto the track and try to physically challenge someone in a metal box going 60 miles per hour is beyond stupid.

On that point, you cannot be more correct. It may be straining a bit to attribute Ward's unfortunate foray onto a hot track to some desire for fan-pleasing.

On that point, you cannot be more correct. It may be straining a bit to attribute Ward's unfortunate foray onto a hot track to some desire for fan-pleasing.

Taken from cowlisha's interview that larmie posted -


His run-ins with other drivers through the years are celebrated (if that’s the right word), and his tirades with the media are legendary.

The pro said it about as politically correct as you can get. But if you go back and look at racing fan boards you will easily see what I mean.

It went from being about the actual sport too...well its basically stormfront with cars and the drivers need to mma fight each other because they were disrespected by another driver.

ylouder...All I gotta say is, when the ox is in the ditch, it's usually a "redneck" that is the first one to lend a hand.

I think what ylouder is talking about is a much bigger issue that the world has in general, but for some reason is either narrowing it to a subset of the population know as rednecks, or is applying the term redneck to a much larger population than it is normally applied to.

If I follow him/her then people who watch violent movies, cheer on fights, video tape their abortions, or watch Christians get fed to lions are all 'rednecks'. I just have to say, that is a different definition for the word than most people are accustom to. I personally define 'redneck' as the glorious absence of class.

Kinda?

More or less I was once a fan of the sport but the newer subset of current fans seem more preoccupied with fighting and drama aspect then the actual sport itself. In my experience it has turned racing fan message boards into these extreme right wing hate groups who seem drawn to start conflict with anything and everything.

New drivers realize that if they throw their helmet or start a fued they will get more fans and more money. That's what the driver mentioned in the quote I posted, basically fans are pushing for these types of conflicts so they are bound to happen.

So it really is a glorious absence of class.

Look at the European racing circuits drivers and fans compared to ours. Don't make me post pictures.

I'm very aware of where it took place and used to be a indy racing fan.

What im referring too is that over about the last 10 years more and more instances of these side shows taking place. At one time racing (even on dirt track) used to be civil but now its cluttered up with WWE style drama and chest pounding playing up to the redneck subculture of constant confrontation (regardless of state). I understand rivalries and being pissed about crashing but to get out onto the track and try to physically challenge someone in a metal box going 60 miles per hour is beyond stupid.
It's nothing new, although Nascar and its fans do celebrate the attitude. Driving full bodied cars tends to bring out a little more aggression in some as well, open wheel cars don't survive those antics as well. I think the celebration of more of it is two-fold, the whole reality TV confrontation culture and too many of these young kids coming up think their talent far exceeds the level that it really is, especially in squirrely handling cars like sprints or stock cars as they preform best when sliding a bit.

1979 Daytona 500 - Donnie Allison/Cale Yarborough Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDDcmz8VMew

I really resisted coming to this thread, but damn it I am weak, and of course I'm not surprised that a few people want to hang the "rednecks" responsible.

Are any of you familiar with dirt track racing at all? You steer the car with the throttle. They have GIANT wings that obstruct views other than left of center. Add in a poorly lit track and a victim in a black firesuit standing in the racing line, it's a recipe for disaster. I wouldn't be surprised if Stewart was trying to get closer than normal, but to just purely assume he intentionally killed a guy is ridiculous and I hope some of you are never on a jury.

Man, where did ANYBODY say he intentionally killed the guy? Or even tried to hit him? Someone suggested that he tried to give him a dirt shower, and accidentally gave him a dirt nap instead. Anyone who has followed Tony Stewart's career at all would have to concede that as a possibility. By the way, even another driver on that track was quoted as saying there was no way Stewart didn't see him.

At the same time, I don't think anyone has disputed that Ward was at least partly culpable in his own death. Running onto an active track like that us dumb, and survivors should be subject to harsh fines and suspensions. But for the uninitiated, just know that while Stewart didn't invent the on-track bum rush, he himself has been it the move's most ardent participant in the past decade or so.

I am sure he knew he was out of it.. yellow flag was up
It will be interesting to see this outcome. he should have never entered the track for sure.. however I don't think Tony Stewart was trying to run him down but revved engine to most likely shower with dirt and failed miserably. bad attitudes from them both resulted in a senseless death. my thoughts are with his family.

After hearing about how these cars work in the last couple days I doubt that he was trying to give him a dirt shower, revving the engine would be part of a normal reaction to veer away if he saw the guy on that side with little time to react, these cars and track conditions are so far removed from the environment most people drive it seems like a very bizarre arrangement. Ward was continuously walking into the part of the track that cars are normally drifting and almost managed to get hit by the driver before Steward too, also the yellow flag being out apparently makes steering of these cars worse since they are dependent of down force from air hitting the wing on the roof.

Man, where did ANYBODY say he intentionally killed the guy?

...

By the way, even another driver on that track was quoted as saying there was no way Stewart didn't see him.

...

But for the uninitiated, just know that while Stewart didn't invent the on-track bum rush, he himself has been it the move's most ardent participant in the past decade or so.


Are you saying Stewart tried to kill him, or at least didn't make much effort NOT to kill him?

I'm not saying either. I'm saying IF he was trying to teach the kid a lesson by scaring him or simply giving him a defiant throttle goose he probably expected that his superior driving skills would mean that nothing too bad would actually happen.

I don't think for a second that Stewart intentionally murdered the kid, and I haven't read a single person here or anywhere else suggest otherwise. But I do accept the possibility that he contributed to the death through negligence, arrogance and a quick incendiary temper, and I believe anyone who has paid attention to Stewart's track history and is honest with themselves would think the same.

Maybe someone wasn't saying it here, but some of the stuff I was seeing tweeted (and retweeted) by supposed journalists on Sunday was all "throw the book at Stewart" etc.

Ah. Yeah, that's a rush to judgment for sure. I just accept that it is a POSSIBILITY that he acted in an angry and reckless manner because, well, he has oft proven that he tends to react that way. There is a reason so many people have rushed to that conclusion, and it isn't just because he's famous and has money. There is no way you would hear the same type of talk if it had been Jimmy Johnson, for instance.

Stewart is a known hot head who has a history of acting out on the track, and when something like this happens he is surely (and fairly) going to get more scrutiny than most.

That said, there is no question that the young driver Ward contributed mightily to his own demise. Stay in the car and it's just another Saturday night at the track.

It's easy to get into the blame and point the finger game. You can watch a replay of that situation; however we will all see something different based on our individual opinions, attitudes and beliefs. This was a very unfortunate incident which has had an affect on a number of people involved along with their families.

What do we learn from this incident that will allow us to better our own lives?


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Good perspective from two people that likely know more about this than anyone else here on this board...

Oklahoma City area sprint car drivers Danny Jennings and Joe Wood Jr. weigh in on Tony Stewart tragedy | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-area-sprint-car-drivers-danny-jennings-and-joe-wood-jr.-weigh-in-on-tony-stewart-tragedy/article/5156692/?page=1)

Good perspective from two people that likely know more about this than anyone else here on this board...

Oklahoma City area sprint car drivers Danny Jennings and Joe Wood Jr. weigh in on Tony Stewart tragedy | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-area-sprint-car-drivers-danny-jennings-and-joe-wood-jr.-weigh-in-on-tony-stewart-tragedy/article/5156692/?page=1)

Seems the majority of their comments are about the action of whether he ran Ward into the wall or not. not much about his revving his engine as he passed Ward during the Caution flag. as they noted as well its not uncommon for a driver to enter the track during a Yellow and point at another driver or check the car ect. I don't this article really sheds much light on the situation at all. To say he would never do anything to Tarnish the sport well I think his previous actions in Nascar have not done it any service so there is that. Do I think Tony Stewart purposefully hit Ward on the track? no.. but I think he and ward were both negligent.

Seems the majority of their comments are about the action of whether he ran Ward into the wall or not. not much about his revving his engine as he passed Ward during the Caution flag. as they noted as well its not uncommon for a driver to enter the track during a Yellow and point at another driver or check the car ect. I don't this article really sheds much light on the situation at all. To say he would never do anything to Tarnish the sport well I think his previous actions in Nascar have not done it any service so there is that. Do I think Tony Stewart purposefully hit Ward on the track? no.. but I think he and ward were both negligent.A lot of the talk on the internet has been about Stewart being ticked at Ward about the incident while still under green. I take Jennings and Woods comments about it just being good clean dirt track racing and saying Stewart probably thought nothing of the spin and probably wasn't ticked at Ward. Why would he be. He didn't spin and I'm not 100% sure he touched Ward hard enough to be responsible for him spinning. Dirt cars touch all the time. It's part of dirt racing.

Does anybody think Stewart had no business competing in such a low level event? Against guys with day jobs trying to secure a $ 5 K prize for their struggling family. Is there not a feeling Stewart was sandbagging, like a major leaguer dropping down to pinch hit at an AA game on an off night.

I'm not sure how it works. But it's possible Stewart was so used to racing against top professionals it took him by total surprise to find a driver walking out on the track.

I do realize Stewart is an experienced Sprint Car driver just like Danica was hot in F1s and Go-Karts. I just find it strange that these millionaire drivers want to compete in these venues.

This is Tony's hobby. He isn't trying to beat up on amatuers. He is legitimately out there to have fun. It is very common for Stewart (and other Cup drivers) to participate in local events near the next track they are going to be at. In this case, they were racing Cup at Watkins Glen, so Tony went to one of the local dirt tracks to have some fun. He actually owns what is claimed to be the best dirt track in the nation, Eldora Speedway.

Many Cup drivers are not allowed to participate in these types of events due to sponsorship contracts and team owner's rules. Tony is self-employed in the Cup series as owner/driver and his sponsors are okay with him doing it (at least they were).

Dirt track racing is where most of these guys came up. And it is not uncommon for pros to participate in the ol' " do it in the dirt with left hand turns" if they can. It doesn't look like Stewart ran ward into the wall. Ward came up on the outside. Ask any dirt track racer. It's harder to pass up top in the turns than it is to drop down through the groove and slingshot around the apron, ... providing there's room to do it. Ward picked his line wide and high. ... They were racing dog gone it.

When Ward got hit, I'm wondering if he got clocked in the head by the wing first, and then got knocked down into the rear tire.

Does anybody think Stewart had no business competing in such a low level event? Against guys with day jobs trying to secure a $ 5 K prize for their struggling family. Is there not a feeling Stewart was sandbagging, like a major leaguer dropping down to pinch hit at an AA game on an off night.

I'm not sure how it works. But it's possible Stewart was so used to racing against top professionals it took him by total surprise to find a driver walking out on the track.

I do realize Stewart is an experienced Sprint Car driver just like Danica was hot in F1s and Go-Karts. I just find it strange that these millionaire drivers want to compete in these venues.

A lot of them are paid an appearance fee by the track promoter that likely only covers their costs to bring their equipment on the road to the local track. All those locals are tickled to death to say they raced guy like Tony Stewart or Clint Boyer.

As to being taken by surprise by a wrecked driver out of his car pointing an accusing finger at a competitor, that happens across the nation, in all levels of auto racing, all the way to the top, so no, no surprise.

Oh, and Danica raced in IndyCars. A far stretch from F1.