Murder or Accident, Tony Stewart Race Car Accident

[runco]

News outlets are reporting that Tony Stewart struck and killed a fellow a race car driver last night (Saturday Aug. 9, 2014), a at local dirt track.  Read the story here, and I found a video on YouTube.  Warning, its not for the faint of heart.  You decide, Murder or Accident!

 

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/08/10/nascar-driver-tony-stewart-fatally-strikes-driver-at-dirt-track-event/

 

FoxNews:  Tony Stewart, one of the most popular and successful drivers in NASCAR, fatally struck a fellow driver late Saturday at a dirt track race in upstate New York the night before he was due to race in a NASCAR Sprint Cup event. 

 

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero would not confirm the driver's identity pending notification of next of kin, though witnesses identified the driver to media outlets as Kevin Ward Jr. Povero said that the driver was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital and added that Stewart was "fully cooperative ... He is very upset and confirmed his continuing cooperation" with the investigation. An autopsy is pending. Povero said the county District Attorney had been notified, but no charges had been filed. 

The sheriff is asking for people who have video of the crash to contact the office so copies can be obtained for review...

 

 

YouTube Video @ about 35 seconds (I wouldn't be surprised if Youtube does not take down the video soon):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qILmIyG6qno

Edited August 10, 2014 by Runco

[Dad03]

WTF was he doing getting out of the car. Sad story. It appears he did try to buzz him as hit the gas as he passes. Hard to tell if the guy keep advancing toward the car as it went by. Tony fish tailed to the inside.

Doubt it will be anything more than a terrible accident. Edited August 10, 2014 by Dad03

[RED333]

WOW, what a shame, the video moved off the driver at the very moment just before the hit.

I could not see if the driver walked in front of Tony or Tony turned into him.

Thoughts and prays for the family's.

[runco]

Lets try this other YouTube Video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lxj5Zk-c-I

[Sam1]

Worked at my uncle's dirt track (lake cumberland speedway) for about 10 years and grew up in a family where racing (both dirt and drags) consumed a huge amount of their lives.

 

With that said, Tony Stewart has been kicked off of LCS before because he is an ass and would just absolutely trash other peoples' late models.  Unlike the millionaire he is or like the sponsors he has to pay for most of the expenses, 99.9% of the people there could sometimes not afford to pay the entry fee they were so strapped for cash, much less pay for getting run into the wall by some peckerwood that could care less.

 

However, by the one video released so far it's almost impossible to tell for certain, but it appears that Tony did try to avoid him at the last second, you can see his left front wheel lock up and the rear slide to the left right before he hit.  So... pending other videos, it did look like he gave an effort to miss him.  Tony was an asshole for pushing him into the wall, but that's part of racing and everyone that gets on the track with the jerk knows he will do that.  But I really don't believe he would intentionally hurt anyone... that's a whole new level of stupid.

 

<edit> after watching it again, you can hear Tony even popped the throttle to help spin the rear away from the guy.  Personal opinion is that he really did try to avoid him.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Sam1

[Dennis1209]

I may be wrong but, in the video's it looks and sounds to me that Stewart gunned his vehicle to intentionally run him over or maybe possibly avoid him. At any rate, the track would have been immediately under the caution flag and the deceased should not have got out of the vehicle unless on fire IMO.

 

What an unnecessary tragedy.

[Sam1]

I may be wrong but, in the video's it looks and sounds to me that Stewart gunned his vehicle to intentionally run him over or maybe possibly avoid him. At any rate, the track would have been immediately under the caution flag and the deceased should not have got out of the vehicle unless on fire IMO.

 

What an unnecessary tragedy.

 

Nah, he did it to spin the car away from him.  Hard to tell from the video, but those tracks can be so tacky sometimes that if you walk on it with loose shoes, it's literally like glue and you will step right out of them (have done it plenty of times myself).  The quickest way to turn a car on a tacky track is to slide the rear end around and he was definitely sliding inside, not towards the guy.

[runco]

I have seen on "TV" many times in the past, similar type incidents, and the one getting out of the car pointing their finger, shaking their fist, or throwing their helmet at the perpetrator having to physically move in order to avoid contact or the perception of contact because the perpetrator driver of the other car intentionality acts like they are going to run over them, but at last second changes course.  I would not be surprised this is what happened here, and Tony in addition to the "act" of running him down, was just going to throw dirt on him by gunning at the last second.  From the video evidence I see, there was no intent to run in him over on purpose, maybe bump him or my thinking throw dirt on him!   Knowing now that NY folk don't always think like TN folk, I wouldn't be surprised if a criminal charge does not come, i.e. voluntary manslaughter or something.

 

I wonder if Tony will race in the Nascar race today at the Glen?

[Sam1]

The only way I would see him racing is if he did and then announced he was giving the winnings to that guy's family.  Outside of that he will not, because the dirt track community would banish him for acting like nothing happened.  The dirt track owners themselves would probably ban him around the country for it cause he's already a pain in the ass to deal with.

[Peace]

Murder or Accident?  At this point, not a single one of us has any idea, but it sure is sad.

[TMF]

What an effing moron. Now his family has to bury him for his fatal condition of stupidity.

[DaveTN]

What an effing moron. Now his family has to bury him for his fatal condition of stupidity.

This.
I guy in a black suit jumps out of his car and walks across a dimly lit track though cars that are racing; and some jump to “murder”. Ridiculous.

[ArmyBrat61]

Looks like a heat of the moment decision on the victims part...pointing and weaving thru the racers on the track....lack of clear judgement equals loss of life.....sad,very sad indeed.

[QuietDan]

I see a victim who walked into traffic -- he was very much alive when his car came to a halt.

[QuietDan]

(duplicate)

Edited August 10, 2014 by QuietDan

[TripleDigitRide]

That's a tough one. The guy should have stayed in his car, but I suspect Tony will regret the split-second decision to punch the gas.

[rugerla1]

I see a victim who walked into traffic -- he was very much alive when his car came to a halt.

This ^^^ His disregard for the rules and jumping out in the middle of the track where any one of the drivers could have struck him, not just TS. Like said above nobody can say with 100% certainty what TS was thinking at that moment, but those high horsepower vehicles on a dirt track aren't able to turn and stop on a dime. My two cents is that he popped the throttle to go around since he knows that's what he would have to do in order to kick the car around in the split second he realized what looked like a shadow a second ago is a pissed off driver intentionally walking in front of his car. Sure is a sad deal though!

[bersaguy]

I have watched the Video's about 10 times and even though I am as far from a Tony Stewart fan as anyone can get he did not hit that young man on purpose. If you look at the video really close the number 45 car went past the driver in a dark racing suit and he was close to him ad after the 45 car wen passed the young man stepped down even closer to the path of Stewarts car. There is a really good chance that Stewart was focused on the 45 car in front of him and didn't even see that young man till the last second and then hit the throttle to move around him and the car didn't react as Stewart thought it would and miss the young man. It was something that I have always been against for all the years I raced at Nashville, Smyrna and Ridgetop Racetracks was drivers getting out of their cars in a fit of rage to cuss out another driver. They do it in all divisions from Sprint cars on dirt to Sprints cars in NASCAR. Stewart was one that got out one time and threw his helmet at another drivers car. A race track is no place to climb out of your car while mad and cars are still moving to show your rage. Prayers do go out to this young mans family for their terrible loss..... :( :(  

[vontar]

Don't go looking for trouble.

[analog_kidd]

It looks like the wreck happened just outside a turn. Any driver at that point would be unable to swerve left to avoid him. Plus coming through the turn, most drivers probably would not have seen them until the track straightened out, at which point they would not have had time to react. Going further into the center of the track, he signed his own death certificate.

[Mike.357]

I don't see this as Smoke's fault.  Ward Jr caused his own death.  I doubt this is the first time a hothead has been hit on a track either.

 

If it did not involve Stewart I doubt many of us would even know it happened.  He will not run at Watkins Glen.

 

It is a real shame and tragedy.  My condolences go out to Ward Jr's loved one's.

[DaveTN]

Big controversy about whether or not NASCAR could or should step in on the decision about the race today. Tony did the right thing in making that not become an issue.

[TNMTBik3r]

Spent the last couple hours watching videos and reading forums and news posts about this.
As said, play stupid games.... Should have stayed in his car or at least right next to it, not running down the track.

NASCAR has no right to jump in IMO, did not occur at a NASCAR event. If Stewart thought he could race, he should be able to. I know he is not racing today, probably a very good decision as I doubt he is rested and calm after a long night.

[Sam1]

That's a tough one. The guy should have stayed in his car, but I suspect Tony will regret the split-second decision to punch the gas.

 

He 'punched the gas' to slide the rear end away from the guy, was a damn good attempt at trying to avoid him imo.

[DaveTN]

NASCAR has no right to jump in IMO, did not occur at a NASCAR event. If Stewart thought he could race, he should be able to. I know he is not racing today, probably a very good decision as I doubt he is rested and calm after a long night.

IMO they had every right to jump in. With NASCARS kind of money involved (not to mention Stewart & Stewart Haas Racing) the sharks would be circling if something went wrong. I don’t know why Stewart made the decision, but I respect him for not putting that on NASCAR and possibly setting a precedent.

Common sense tells me that someone who just accidently killed another human being would not have the state of mind for the task at hand. That could have been the conclusion he came to.