Tony Stewart Runs Over Dirt Track Driver, Kevin Ward Jr Is Dead

[jonathanlambert33]

https://twitter.com/PrescottRossi/status/498363333775749120

 

[jonathanlambert33]

http://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/2d4avc/rumor_tony_stewart_ran_over_someone_at_a_sprint/?sort=new

Reddit thread to follow that kind of outlines what has happened.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Ja7TlxpPb_8

 

[Teagz]

Dude made a really bad decision running out there. Can't really blame the driver imo. If you're gonna do shit like that bad things are gonna happen.

 

[Mobruler]

He didn't look both ways before crossing the road.

 

[footballplaya52]

People from my town commenting on Fb make me wanna kill myself. Saying tony should be charged with manslaughter and shit. You got out and tried to start shit with moving cars, shits gonna go badly.

 

[elcheato]

People from my town commenting on Fb make me wanna kill myself. Saying tony should be charged with manslaughter and shit. You got out and tried to start shit with moving cars, shits gonna go badly.

I haven't seen the video and don't plan on watching it, but I would think a guy who drives cars incredibly fast for a living would have a lot more control over the situation and be able to avoid a guy who is on foot. Again, haven't seen it, so I don't want to throw blame or dismiss anything.
 
Also, ESPN wouldn't show the Paul George injury but are apparently freely showing this dude die? 

 

[BwareDWare94]

I haven't seen the video and don't plan on watching it, but I would think a guy who drives cars incredibly fast for a living would have a lot more control over the situation and be able to avoid a guy who is on foot. Again, haven't seen it, so I don't want to throw blame or dismiss anything.
 
Also, ESPN wouldn't show the Paul George injury but are apparently freely showing this dude die? 

 
He's in full racing gear, helmet and everything. It's not hard to watch. Just watch it.
 
My two cents--it does not look intentional to me. The track is dark, the driver's gear is dark. There's no big logo for the light to gleam off of--nothing.
 
And you have to be really stupid to run out among moving sprint cars. May Kevin Ward Jr. rest in peace, but based on the video footage, I don't think Stewart should face much for legal consequences. It's very easy to see how this could have been an accident, and quite frankly, we'll never know. 

 

[elcheato]

 
He's in full racing gear, helmet and everything. It's not hard to watch. Just watch it.
 
My two cents--it does not look intentional to me. The track is dark, the driver's gear is dark. There's no big logo for the light to gleam off of--nothing.
 
And you have to be really stupid to run out among moving sprint cars. May Kevin Ward Jr. rest in peace, but based on the video footage, I don't think Stewart should face much for legal consequences. It's very easy to see how this could have been an accident, and quite frankly, we'll never know. 

It's not about it being hard to watch. Its an actual dude, at age 17 unexpectedly dying. Not something I'm interested in seeing if I don't have to. 

 

[footballplaya52]

I haven't seen the video and don't plan on watching it, but I would think a guy who drives cars incredibly fast for a living would have a lot more control over the situation and be able to avoid a guy who is on foot. Again, haven't seen it, so I don't want to throw blame or dismiss anything.
 
Also, ESPN wouldn't show the Paul George injury but are apparently freely showing this dude die? 

 
you have to watch it to know where i'm coming from. he goes right over to the car and gets clipped.

 

[BwareDWare94]

Yeah. Not primarily Stewart's fault, imo.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I really hope nothing comes from this for Tony. I mean only Tony truly knows what happened, but it didn't look intentional to me. The whole acceleration thing is weird, but from what I know you have to accelerate to really get those cars to turn. I personally think Tony was trying to avoid the kid and just couldn't in time. Bad situation, but it's Kevin Wards fault that we are here. He would still be living if he just used his head.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Tyler Graves, a sprint-car racer and friend of Ward's, told Sporting News in a phone interview that he was sitting in the Turn 1 grandstands and saw everything that happened.

"Tony pinched him into the frontstretch wall, a racing thing," Graves said. "The right rear tire went down, he spun on the exit of (Turn) 2. They threw the caution and everything was toned down. Kevin got out of his car. … He was throwing his arms up all over the place at Tony for most of the corner.

"I know Tony could see him. I know how you can see out of these cars. When Tony got close to him, he hit the throttle. When you hit a throttle on a sprint car, the car sets sideways. It set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two and then it threw him about 50 yards.

 

[Pugz]

sad to watch but what is earth would make you think you could walk out on the track like that?

 

[footballplaya52]

 

Tyler Graves, a sprint-car racer and friend of Ward's, told Sporting News in a phone interview that he was sitting in the Turn 1 grandstands and saw everything that happened.

"Tony pinched him into the frontstretch wall, a racing thing," Graves said. "The right rear tire went down, he spun on the exit of (Turn) 2. They threw the caution and everything was toned down. Kevin got out of his car. … He was throwing his arms up all over the place at Tony for most of the corner.

"I know Tony could see him. I know how you can see out of these cars. When Tony got close to him, he hit the throttle. When you hit a throttle on a sprint car, the car sets sideways. It set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two and then it threw him about 50 yards.

 

 
 
150 ft? didnt look to be half of that

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I didn't think it was either but it may have been. If you watch the video the guy surely went a far ways.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Was the upper side of his body facing a different direction than his lower half after Stewart hit him?

 

[BwareDWare94]

 

Tyler Graves, a sprint-car racer and friend of Ward's, told Sporting News in a phone interview that he was sitting in the Turn 1 grandstands and saw everything that happened.

"Tony pinched him into the frontstretch wall, a racing thing," Graves said. "The right rear tire went down, he spun on the exit of (Turn) 2. They threw the caution and everything was toned down. Kevin got out of his car. … He was throwing his arms up all over the place at Tony for most of the corner.

"I know Tony could see him. I know how you can see out of these cars. When Tony got close to him, he hit the throttle. When you hit a throttle on a sprint car, the car sets sideways. It set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two and then it threw him about 50 yards.

 

 
I love the way the media only talks to people who have close connections to the victim, and are looking for someone to blame. 

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

Yes, it is extremely dangerous running out onto the track but people act like this is the first time drivers have done that. It happens all the time. Drivers lose their cool and don't think at the moment and go out and do things that they'd never think of ever happening. It's the heat of the moment, he was upset he got ran into the wall and wanted to express his displeasure to Tony. Am I saying it's smart or the right thing to do? No. Tony Stewart has done the same thing several times over losing his cool, he's been in the way of moving cars just to throw helmets and different things.
 
Do I believe Tony did it on purpose? No. What I do believe is that he was trying to scare the kid and he misjudged his car and where he was at. I find it very hard to believe that Tony didn't see him. I don't buy that one for a minute. Tony also has a lot of sprint car experience, he knows the cars extremely well. From what I've heard, a lot of the drivers in the same race actually believe Tony used his car as a weapon. Of course there's no way to know, it's all speculation and differing opinions. The fact of the matter is a young guy got killed (20 years old) and Tony will have to live with it for the rest of his life, intentional or not. Only he knows. Very sad situation. 

 

[footballplaya52]

i just don't see why tony would have motive to run him down.