NASCAR driver Tony Stewart hit and killed a fellow driver

[Boon Doggle]

This continues to get sadder by the minuet. The media, especially Fox, is sure trying to criminalize Tony Stewart. Most of the Talking Heads voicing opinions have never even been to a race, let alone driven in one. They surely have no conception of the physical forces that come into play on a race care moving at speed. I doubt most of them even know what NASCAR stands for. Hell, most of them probably can't spell NASCAR.

[Caliope Cupcake #13981]

so sad...I think it was a tragic accident. This is the first time I've seen the video, and as awful as it is, thanx for posting it. Looks like Tony could have seen and prob'ly missed Kevin when he made the first walk-out, but the second walk-out put him in a position in which there wasn't enough time for Tony to fully correct, so he was pulled in by the wheel. Otherwise, K may have been struck directly...my opinion

[Clay Mosby]

First and foremost, condolences to the Ward family.

 

Second, shame on the media for the way this was covered in the hours following the accident. Reading the headlines and the opening paragraphs of several articles it was blindingly obvious that the media was not at all concerned with what actually happened. All they cared about was that a fatality had occurred, and there was a big name celebrity with a temper involved. So of course Tony was at fault, Tony ran over another driver because of an altercation, Tony sped up when he saw Ward on the track!. This is just a sampling of some of the unfounded, totally inaccurate b. s. that was being spewed out by these embarrassing excuses for journalists.

 

Whether one is a fan of Tony Stewart or not, the fact that he was accused and convicted in the press, and to a much lesser extent in this thread is pretty disheartening. The vast majority have never sat their butt in the seat of a race car on a dimly lit dirt track so they have no clue of what they were spouting off about.

 

Ok, I'll go quietly now.

[DocWard]

I don't know whether it is true or not but I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard a couple of seemingly knowledgeable Sprint Car fans and one driver. Each said that the way those cars are set up, with the wing, and the head secured, they are like one big rolling blind spot. Add the dark and the black race suit, and seeing Mr. Ward was probably quite challenging. The other thing I found interesting was that the cars are set up with staggered tires and steering geometry such that they want to turn left. It is hard to keep them going straight, especially under throttle. The driver I heard said that if Stewart actually got on the throttle, it would have been to pull the car to the left, away from the other driver.

 

Again, I cannot stand for the veracity of the statements, and not being a fan of NASCAR or the like, my knowledge base is limited.

[Seldom Seen #16162]

No doubt that Ward made a stupid choice to get out in front of those cars.

 

GG

 

 

 

That being said, I know this much, the wreck happened and Ward was out of his car THEN the yellow flag was waved......all the cars had to slow that had crossed the start/finish line....

Ward's 1st mistake was getting out of his car and not waiting for the rescuer to come get him.Ward's 2nd mistake was to walk into race traffic slowing down for the yellow flag. If he had a beef with Tony Stewart (Smoke, as I call him) then Ward should have taken it off track.

 

However, Steward has been know to have a tempter and it has got the best of him a time or two.

 

 

The city I grew up has a dirt race track and Sprint Cars races are common events. As commented the traction on the dirt track is loose so cars bumping into each other happens regularly and is part of the excitement of the race. The cars have very strong safety cages.

 

There are safety rules for every race. The most important ones are for driver safety. I wonder how many Ward violated by;

 

a) getting out of his car before track crew arrived.

 

after getting out of his car not remaining by the outside edge of track, With the caution flag out the drivers will drive to the inside of the track as the video shows.

 

c) standing in the middle of the middle on the curve causing other drivers to have to steer around him to avoid hitting him.

 

d) not getting off the track altogether.

 

What the video does show is Ward was the one displaying his temper.

[Chalktaw A Toka, #27377L]

After watching the video I am amazed that the first car missed Kevin. Having driven a sprint in the early 70's I can tell you this was no easy task. They are at best quirky and the winning cars usually are the most temperamental. All the tricks have to be right, it is just the nature of the beast. And yes as someone else has said it is a rolling blind spot. Even then before the Hanns system the helmet pads and interior of the cage contributes to the loss of view. Then an the fact that Kevin was in all black, the tracks are notoriously dark and he walked into the turn.

The basic safety rule applies here: DO NOT GET OUT OD YOUR CARE!!!! Sorta like empty and open. Harm comes to those that violate the rule.

Smoke is a hot head, but no way can I believe he is responsible for this. His heart may feel more than we can imagine and it will show in his driving for quite some time.

The media are pigs, feeding to be fed. they don't have a clue, the will do all they can to sensationalize this tragic accident.

My thought are with Kevin's family and for Tony......