F1technical.net

A YouTube video of the incident showed Stewart racing to the low side of Kevin Ward Jr., of Port Leyden, New York. The two cars made contact, sending Ward's No. 13 car bounding off the Turn 2 wall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0F9VRz0sn0
After Ward spun to a stop with a flat right-rear tire, the driver quickly dismounted to confront Stewart, walking out onto the track and pointing at the veteran driver's No. 14. Stewart's car revved and fishtailed, catching Ward with its right-rear tire and sending him a sizable distance from the crash site
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/ ... death.html

Sad news, this is something that should not have happend, I think this will really shake the foundations of racing here in north america

I have just seen the footage, and I have to say my first impression on this is not kind on Tony Stewart.
In my view there is more than a hint of premeditation in the manoeuvre.

Shocking incident either way, and my condolences to Kevin Ward Jr, and his family.

The youtube link is here if you would prefer to see the event.
DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

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

Darwin award.
Walking straight out on a circuit (even ran down further before he got hit) is stupid and at your own risk.

I doubt Stewart also would purposely run someone over.
At least now these competitions will enforce rules saying you can´t walk on the bloody circuit while cars are on it but as usual, someone has to die before people realize it´s dangerous.

FoxHound wrote:I have just seen the footage, and I have to say my first impression on this is not kind on Tony Stewart.
In my view there is more than a hint of premeditation in the manoeuvre.

Shocking incident either way, and my condolences to Kevin Ward Jr, and his family.

The youtube link is here if you would prefer to see the event.
DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

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

Don't apply the same rules of driving a regular race car to sprint cars, and dirt track racing in general. You use the throttle to steer with sprint cars.

It's a shame Ward is dead, but he was an idiot for walking down into the racing line, and paid the ultimate price for it. He'd still be alive if he waited in his car, or jumped over the barrier at the back of the track. Instead he wanted to be a hot head, and forgot the cardinal rule, that when you do things out of anger, it tends to make situations worse instead of better.

SectorOne wrote:Darwin award.
Walking straight out on a circuit (even ran down further before he got hit) is stupid and at your own risk.

We do not know the entire circumstances. Perhaps Ward suffered a concussion. Yes, after a concussion, some people can still walk.

SectorOne wrote:I doubt Stewart also would purposely run someone over.

A clear headed Stewart of course not would, so that rules out premeditated murder. People do extraordinary things when they are in sudden rage, the strong impulse probably clouded Stewart's judgement that led him to commit the crime of passion.

GitanesBlondes wrote:Don't apply the same rules of driving a regular race car to sprint cars, and dirt track racing in general. You use the throttle to steer with sprint cars.

Mind you that they were under caution when Ward got hit. Whether they slowed have down enough by the scene is debatable. And if they were running at pace speed, Stewart should have some steering authority, if not all of it. Stewart probably though Ward would retreat back at the last moment.

GitanesBlondes wrote:Don't apply the same rules of driving a regular race car to sprint cars, and dirt track racing in general. You use the throttle to steer with sprint cars.

It's a shame Ward is dead, but he was an idiot for walking down into the racing line, and paid the ultimate price for it. He'd still be alive if he waited in his car, or jumped over the barrier at the back of the track. Instead he wanted to be a hot head, and forgot the cardinal rule, that when you do things out of anger, it tends to make situations worse instead of better.

That he was walking in the road to make a point is certainly the biggest issue here. We've seen drivers do this before, so let it be a hard lesson. However, the conditions were Yellow....so it was not a case of balls to the wall throttle steer.
More than just a tad coincidental he hit's the same guy twice who's trying to make a foolish point the second time round.....don't you think?

crbassassin wrote:

SectorOne wrote:Darwin award.
Walking straight out on a circuit (even ran down further before he got hit) is stupid and at your own risk.

We do not know the entire circumstances. Perhaps Ward suffered a concussion. Yes, after a concussion, some people can still walk.

SectorOne wrote:I doubt Stewart also would purposely run someone over.

A clear headed Stewart of course not would, so that rules out premeditated murder. People do extraordinary things when they are in sudden rage, the strong impulse probably clouded Stewart's judgement that led him to commit the crime of passion.

Why would Tony be angry?

He didn't crash.

This is flying over most people's heads. If you see any driver confrontation, the driver doing the confrontation tends to be the one who feels they have been wronged. Think Schumacher at Belgium 1998 after he ran into the back of Coulthard. Who went looking for the confrontation? Not Coulthard because he didn't think he'd been wronged.

Absolute idiot.

FoxHound wrote:

GitanesBlondes wrote:Don't apply the same rules of driving a regular race car to sprint cars, and dirt track racing in general. You use the throttle to steer with sprint cars.

It's a shame Ward is dead, but he was an idiot for walking down into the racing line, and paid the ultimate price for it. He'd still be alive if he waited in his car, or jumped over the barrier at the back of the track. Instead he wanted to be a hot head, and forgot the cardinal rule, that when you do things out of anger, it tends to make situations worse instead of better.

That he was walking in the road to make a point is certainly the biggest issue here. We've seen drivers do this before, so let it be a hard lesson. However, the conditions were Yellow....so it was not a case of balls to the wall throttle steer.
More than just a tad coincidental he hit's the same guy twice who's trying to make a foolish point the second time round.....don't you think?

While I certainly enjoy conspiracies, this isn't one of them.

My biggest problem with that camera footage is it doesn't show where Tony was coming through the corner.

We could guess all day at what happened, but Tony is the only one who actually knows for certain. For as much of a hothead as he has been over the years, I just don't see him purposely doing this.

Keep in mind, the car that is ahead of Tony, you see Ward run down into the race line then, he backs up, and then runs down again when Tony is coming. It looks like he tries to get almost in front of the car, and only realizes the mistake. People keep saying the when you hear the engine gun, that is the smoking gun, but it looks like he tries to swing the rear away from Ward to avoid contact.

Fact is, if Ward stays in his car, he is still alive. He made an absolutely moronic decision, and paid the price.

GitanesBlondes wrote: Why would Tony be angry?

He didn't crash.

I have been watching NASCAR since 2000. I guess you don't follow the series enough to know the history of Tony at all. I have lost count on the incidents where Tony got mad at a competitor for no apparent reason. The kid challenged Tony's authority, and in Tony's mind that's what might have set him off. He is just like a pitbull, even when he is happy, he will still snap at any time.

crbassassin wrote:

GitanesBlondes wrote: Why would Tony be angry?

He didn't crash.

I have been watching NASCAR since 2000. I guess you don't follow the series enough to know the history of Tony at all. I have lost count on the incidents where Tony got mad at a competitor for no apparent reason. The kid challenged Tony's authority, and in Tony's mind that's what might have set him off. He is just like a pitbull, even when he is happy, he will still snap at any time.

So in other words....you have no actual proof.

Let me know when you have some.

Let's be clear, he had no business being in the road. I concur fully that it was this more than anything that led to these sad events.
However, how could Stewart swing the car away from Jr. when it was a banked corner heading left?

So let me get this straight,

Stewart is in a racing incident (one of many, and not even close to the worst one), he then gets pissed, circles around and murders the other person even though he got out of the incident perfectly fine.

Yea....no.

FoxHound wrote:However, how could Stewart swing the car away from Jr. when it was a banked corner heading left?

Because he´s right on Stewarts line, Stewart swerves down the track, rear end catches him and sends him flying.

I think Tony Stewart has a reputation which is tainting certain views, I don't know about him, my only experience of Stewart was on the mobil 1 Cartoons. What I see is a hot headed fool who not only walked onto the mot dangerous part of the track but took a quick side step straight into the path of the guy that knocked him off, expecting him to stop, that's why he was the one that hit him. My condolences are with the dead mans family, not him, and Tony Stewart who has to live with this for the rest of his life.