CNN: NASCAR's Tony Stewart allegedly hits, kills driver at dirt-track race in New York

[AsburySkinsFan]

I mentioned earlier that I was surprised that Ward was even that upset. There was nothing Stewart did to provoke that kind of reaction from Ward. That was just good hard side by side racing.

Granted, they could have had an earlier run-in, either in that race, or in a different race (Stewart had raced there before) that culminated in Ward's reaction. But just based off that wreck, he totally overreacted.

Exactly, Ward was on the outside and getting pushed into the mud (not where he wanted to be). He decided that he wasn't going up any further and they made contact spinning Ward out.

Don't be offended by his aggressiveness... Asbury is just obviously into racing.. I think he's making good points even if he is being dismissive...Knowing Ashbury, I'm sure his dismissive tone, has more to do with his own obsession and confidence in knowledge of the sport, rather than a personal indictment on anybody else.

I'm also tired and I'm probably being a bit prickish.

[JMS]

I mentioned earlier that I was surprised that Ward was even that upset. There was nothing Stewart did to provoke that kind of reaction from Ward. That was just good hard side by side racing.

Granted, they could have had an earlier run-in, either in that race, or in a different race (Stewart had raced there before) that culminated in Ward's reaction. But just based off that wreck, he totally overreacted.

That's what I thought too.. I can see why Ward was upset.. He was trying to pass on the outside... did a good job of holding the edge.... but couldn't quit pass Stewart...

I wonder if at Ward's level of driving that maneuver usually works? I mean maybe Stewart who had the inside track was going faster than Ward was expecting... Thwarting Ward's move..

Anyway I agree with you, It seems to me Ward's anger was sour grapes.. He made an aggressive move which failed, and crashed in Stewart's blind spot.

[Bubble Screen]

Ash: I feel your frustration. You are probably peeved because most (if not all) of the guys bashing Stewart for this have never watched a race in their life. You can tell by a lot of their comments. I'm not including SS in that though. He isn't saying Stewart did anything criminal.

And I could be wrong, but I think zoony could have just been trolling us Nascar fans. I no longer take that bait. You either like the sport or you don't.

[SkinsGuy]

ESPN is reporting that there are no criminal charges pending "at this time". However, they say that the investigation is still ongoing and the District Attorney wants to bring in experts to help with the analysis in the investigation.

[AsburySkinsFan]

ESPN is reporting that there are no criminal charges pending "at this time". However, they say that the investigation is still ongoing and the District Attorney wants to bring in experts to help with the analysis in the investigation.

Due diligence

[Springfield]

You're right you didn't say what his intent was, you did however question him racing at these levels, and you've granted Smoke omnipotence and infallibility. Like the others you preface your post with a disclaimer regarding your lack of knowledge then you proceed to expound upon conclusions that even pros in the sport aren't making. I've been around racing and followed racing since I was 10 years old. I've followed Tony's career since he entered NASCAR driving for Joe Gibbs, so excuse me if I know more than you.

I'm sorry you feel condescended, but when you come in making absolute conclusions that pros aren't even making all while professing your lack of knowledge it seems a bit silly.

I never professed a lack of knowledge. I don't really ever post in the nascar threads and I don't watch as much nascar as I used to but I am probably more knowledgeable than most average people. Growing up I was huge fan of both nascar (when it was the Winston Cup) and Indy car. Favorite drivers were Davey Allison and Michael Andretti. Never got into dirt tracks too much and I gave up watching nascar religiously when Davey died tragically. I still follow casually and typically root for Harvick and Earnhardt Jr. So, you probably know way more about the current state of the sport than I do but I know enough to form an opinion.

Now that I've prefaced that, I'll say that this whole thing is tragic. Ward shouldn't have gotten out of the car to try and instigate Stewart. In the culture though, it's not out of the ordinary. I've seen it happen many times (which is why I referenced fighting in hockey to PokerPaker, they are both sideshows to the real sport). Any competition will bring out the most in people. The most adrenaline, the most strength, the most stupidity.

Do I think it's possible that Ward just walked into oncoming traffic with a death wish? Yes. Do I think that it's possible that Stewart called Ward's bluff but came too close? Yes. To me it's probably a comedy of errors that led up to Ward's death. I don't think Stewart should go to jail or be charged with manslaughter given what little evidence that I have. I also don't think he was blind to the situation. As with most things in life, I think there are shades of gray.

[DM72]

Yet your making absolute statements about what Stewart saw. Without the benefit of having sat in the seat with all the equipment and realizing how limited the field of view actually is. Hence why drivers have SPOTTERS.

 

Dude, that's a HUGE stretch to assume that Stewart didn't see him. Stewart has been doing this way too long to be given THAT benefit of a doubt. Also, I have yet to hear anyone make the claim that this kid was that hard to see.

 

I'm sure all of that is gonna come out in the investigation. That is, if B.S. hasn't closed the investigation yet.

[KuNiT21]

Ash: I feel your frustration. You are probably peeved because most (if not all) of the guys bashing Stewart for this have never watched a race in their life. You can tell by a lot of their comments. I'm not including SS in that though. He isn't saying Stewart did anything criminal.

And I could be wrong, but I think zoony could have just been trolling us Nascar fans. I no longer take that bait. You either like the sport or you don't.

 

Just about 99.9% of the people posting in this disagreeing with your opinion have already stated that Stewart's intention was not to hit the guy.  In fact only 1 person in this entire thread mentioned it was intentional.  The rest of us had already explained we thought the guy was dumb for standing in the middle of the track.  We just are simply saying Tony Stewart was being a hard ass for reving it and ****ed up (If the audio in the 1st youtube video is the correct one). So you seem to be arguing with yourself at times.  Second, I've been around Nascar for awhile.  I've been to plenty of Nascar races and have a dirt track/modified track about 2 miles away from my house so stop giving us the "Well if you don't agree with me you obviously never watched a race in your entire life".  You seem to know everything about everything but did you know that Tony "Smoke" Stewart has sever anger management issues?  Have you seen Tony "Smoke" Stewart in action when he's pissed off?  

[Bubble Screen]

Dude, that's a HUGE stretch to assume that Stewart didn't see him. Stewart has been doing this way too long to be given THAT benefit of a doubt. Also, I have yet to hear anyone make the claim that this kid was that hard to see.

I'm sure all of that is gonna come out in the investigation. That is, if B.S. hasn't closed the investigation yet.

Its not a stretch, at all. You just don't know enough about racing to form an opinion. There have been MANY reasons listed as to how Stewart could have not saw Ward, or saw him too late. You just choose to ignore logic, because it's easier for you to jump to conclusions and label Stewart a murderer.

[SkinsGuy]

Due diligence

Possibly.

I guess they are going to want to talk to Stewart some more as well. Though Stewart, particularly in his earlier days in NASCAR was known, at times, to be a hothead and had his share of feuds, I have a hard time believing he did anything to cause this accident.

It seems the main onus is on Ward. You hate to talk about someone who just died, but damn, what the HELL was he thinking running out into the middle of the track like that? That's like running out into the middle of an interstate at rush hour.

Was NOT smart on his part. Just fatal.

[JMS]

Dude, that's a HUGE stretch to assume that Stewart didn't see him. Stewart has been doing this way too long to be given THAT benefit of a doubt. Also, I have yet to hear anyone make the claim that this kid was that hard to see.

 

I'm sure all of that is gonna come out in the investigation. That is, if B.S. hasn't closed the investigation yet.

Why? Who would expect a crazy dude to be running out into the middle of a race track like that?

Also this wasn't on a straight away right... This was on the turn where the drivers are concentrating on their speed and trying to balance it against the precise friction coefficient of their tires against the track. The worst possible place to introduce a mad man jumping in front of their car.

I would submit to you it's not unlikely Stewart didn't even know Ward Blamed him for his crash. It didn't look like Steward did anything to cause Ward's crash other than driving straight ahead.

[JMS]

Possibly.

I guess they are going to want to talk to Stewart some more as well. Though Stewart, particularly in his earlier days in NASCAR was known, at times, to be a hothead and had his share of feuds, I have a hard time believing he did anything to cause this accident.

Was he known "in his earlier days" for running people over and killing them after they ran out and jumped in front of his race car?

If not then it doesn't matter really what occurred a decade or two ago... that he once bumped another car or put somebody in a spin 15 years ago.

If Stewart saw Ward and knew this maniac was going to run out into the middle of the track and step in front of his car as he emerged from the turn ( two very big ifs) Stewart's choices were to break and stop the race prior to going into the turn; or continue to race hoping Ward's instincts for self preservation would take over. I would argue the latter choice is still a reasonable choice for a professional driver to make in this instance..

Ward didn't give Stewart any other choices.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Possibly.

I guess they are going to want to talk to Stewart some more as well. Though Stewart, particularly in his earlier days in NASCAR was known, at times, to be a hothead and had his share of feuds, I have a hard time believing he did anything to cause this accident.

It seems the main onus is on Ward. You hate to talk about someone who just died, but damn, what the HELL was he thinking running out into the middle of the track like that? That's like running out into the middle of an interstate at rush hour.

Was NOT smart on his part. Just fatal.

Yeah, but most of the feuds were him tossing helmets at the driver involved's car, usually from the pit, not on the track (if I'm not mistaken) or after the race ended, or in press conferences.  Getting pissed off and losing it, talking **** and throwing your helmet is one thing.  To think that the man would intentionally run over another driver to harm/kill him is a stretch at best, imo.

 

They also have stated that there was no beef, no history of any incidence at all between Ward and Smoke.  

[SkinsGuy]

SpringfieldSkins writes:

Do I think it's possible that Ward just walked into oncoming traffic with a death wish? Yes. Do I think that it's possible that Stewart called Ward's bluff but came too close? Yes. To me it's probably a comedy of errors that led up to Ward's death. I don't think Stewart should go to jail or be charged with manslaughter given what little evidence that I have. I also don't think he was blind to the situation. As with most things in life, I think there are shades of gray.

That's the only way, I believe, that Stewart could get into trouble with this is if the investigators feel that Stewart was, as you put it, "calling Ward's bluff".

Possibly Stewart was doing a swerving motion with his car, not to hit Ward, but to say with his car "**** you, buddy!" or "Get off the track, boy", lost control and hit Ward instead.

Seems a stretch, and I think it is really on Ward for stupidly running out into the middle of the track, but you never know.

[DM72]

Its not a stretch, at all. You just don't know enough about racing to form an opinion. There have been MANY reasons listed as to how Stewart could have not saw Ward, or saw him too late. You just choose to ignore logic, because it's easier for you to jump to conclusions and label Stewart a murderer.

 

Some of you get on others for speaking in absolutes, but then you make ridiculous comments like this. I have yet to hear anyone say that they thought Stewart purposely killed this kid. If it was up to some of you, the investigation would be over without a proper investigation. With Stewart's reputation (And yes, he has a reputation) I can see him wanting to scare this kid and clipped him. Would that really surprise anyone if that were the case?

 

[Bubble Screen]

Just about 99.9% of the people posting in this disagreeing with your opinion have already stated that Stewart's intention was not to hit the guy. In fact only 1 person in this entire thread mentioned it was intentional. The rest of us had already explained we thought the guy was dumb for standing in the middle of the track. We just are simply saying Tony Stewart was being a hard ass for reving it and ****ed up (If the audio in the 1st youtube video is the correct one). So you seem to be arguing with yourself at times. Second, I've been around Nascar for awhile. I've been to plenty of Nascar races and have a dirt track/modified track about 2 miles away from my house so stop giving us the "Well if you don't agree with me you obviously never watched a race in your entire life". You seem to know everything about everything but did you know that Tony "Smoke" Stewart has sever anger management issues? Have you seen Tony "Smoke" Stewart in action when he's pissed off?

You don't get it though. You're acting like the videos you've watched are clear cut, that Stewart could have absolutely avoided him.

Again, the investigators have looked at the same videos and listened to the same audios that you have. And probably many others. They found no evidence of any wrongdoing and will likely never find any.

As for Stewart's past. Yes, I'm quite aware of his past issues. I've followed Nascar my entire life. And I have a friend that's actually raced for several years. We both had the same opinion on the matter from the outset:

1. Ward overreacted. It was just a racing incident.

2. Ward had no business confronting Stewart in the manner he did.

3. 1 and 2 led to 3. Which is, it was just a tragic incident all the way around.

[zoony]

This is possibly the most condescending post I've ever had written in response to a post of mine.

I have not once said that I think Stewart mean to hit him. Yet, here you come like a former nascar driver turned pastor to tell me how wrong my opinion is. You know exactly zero about what I really know about racing. All you want to do is be defensive about what's probably your favorite Nascar driver. You're doing a great job at that.

If he were the pastor at my church I would switch immediately. Just a condescending, petty jerk.

For the record ASF you know nothing about what I know either.

[DaGoonie55]

1. Sad series of events.

 

2. The kid Ward, bless his soul, was an idiot.

 

3. I doubt any fault will be found with Smoke.  It has been beat to death in here.

 

I'll also submit that drivers aren't looking in front of them on a dirt course, they are looking into the next turn.  Much like riding a motorcycle, look where you want to go.  Just my .02.

 

Prayers and thoughts for the Ward family.

[SkinsGuy]

Was he known "in his earlier days" for running people over and killing them after they ran out and jumped in front of his race car?

If not then it doesn't matter really what occurred a decade or two ago... that he once bumped another car or put somebody in a spin 15 years ago.

If Stewart saw Ward and knew this maniac was going to run out into the middle of the track and step in front of his car as he emerged from the turn ( two very big ifs) Stewart's choices were to break and stop the race prior to going into the turn; or continue to race hoping Ward's instincts for self preservation would take over. I would argue the latter choice is still a reasonable choice for a professional driver to make in this instance..

Ward didn't give Stewart any other choices.

I'm not contending that he intentionally killed Ward. So you can drop that silly straw man. I meant that he might have been trying to vent his anger back at Ward and lost control of his car. He might've taken one of his hands off the wheel to point back at Ward and lost control.

I don't believe it, but anything is possible.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

I'd also like to add, that the video footage we see, is focused on the wreck only.  It's zoomed in (at least it looks like it is to me) on the one turn.  We see the kid pointing fingers, but if its in a turn like that, no way the driver can see him until its too late.  I think that is justified by the one driver almost clipping him as he was walking out to the middle of the track.  He came out a lot further than he did when the first car almost hit him.  Horrible and tragic, but I don't see any blame on Smoke's part.

[Bubble Screen]

Some of you get on others for speaking in absolutes, but then you make ridiculous comments like this. I have yet to hear anyone say that they thought Stewart purposely killed this kid. If it was up to some of you, the investigation would be over without a proper investigation. With Stewart's reputation (And yes, he has a reputation) I can see him wanting to scare this kid and clipped him. Would that really surprise anyone if that were the case?

Now you're repeating things I've already said, multiple times. Yes, that could have happened. But there is no evidence so far that even comes close to supporting it. That's why the most logical conclusion is that it was an accident.

[Springfield]

If he were the pastor at my church I would switch immediately. Just a condescending, petty jerk.

For the record ASF you know nothing about what I know either.

It just caught me off guard because I like the **** out of ASF.

We should have a who knows nothing about what who knows competition sometime.

[Bubble Screen]

It just caught me off guard because I like the **** out of ASF.

We should have a who knows nothing about what who knows competition sometime.

He's a Stewart fan. If that were my driver I would probably be upset at all of the backlash, too.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Some of you get on others for speaking in absolutes, but then you make ridiculous comments like this. I have yet to hear anyone say that they thought Stewart purposely killed this kid. If it was up to some of you, the investigation would be over without a proper investigation. With Stewart's reputation (And yes, he has a reputation) I can see him wanting to scare this kid and clipped him. Would that really surprise anyone if that were the case?

 

DM, I got respect for ya man (Wrestling represent!), but why would Stuart want to scare the kid?  He has nothing to gain trying to scare a 20 yo sprint car racer that is of no threat to him or his racing team.  I know Smoke's reputation, which is a hot headed bumping and grinding kind of racer. 

 

But he gives back to the community and supports the local races like this by participating in them, helping the sport grow, etc.  Tony has everything to lose and nothing to gain from intentionally trying to scare the kid.  And I don't think he would risk everything just to scare a 20 year old driver, or any other driver for that matter.

He might've taken one of his hands off the wheel to point back at Ward and lost control.

 

 

Really? 

[SkinsGuy]

Really? 

Beats me. I don't know anything about those type of cars. I'm just speculating.