Posted on 08/10/2014 5:04:09 AM PDT by CaptainK
NASCAR star Tony Stewart hit and killed another driver who was walking on the track in a sprint car race on Saturday night.
The other driver, Kevin Ward Jr., had collided with Stewart on the previous lap, leaving Ward’s car with a flat tire and pushed into the wall. As officials threw a caution, Ward left his car and began walking down the track — gesturing angrily toward Stewart — before being clipped and dragged 50 feet by Stewart’s car.
Several spectators told Bob Pockrass of The Sporting News that Stewart appeared to throttle his car before colliding with Ward.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Sounds like 2 spoiled kids meeting their end in an ugly way. My prayers for the family of Kevin Ward. May God comfort and keep you through this horrendous time.
I'm sure this is all going to come to an end, and right quick.
* Baseball fans may remember that this was how the Yankees ended up trading for Alex Rodriguez in 2004. Aaron Boone, their starting third baseman and hero of the 2003 playoff series against the Red Sox, injured his knee while playing a pickup basketball game over the following winter. His contract was immediately voided, and the Yankees went out looking for a new third baseman.
Yep.
Not a race fan? Quite a few top NASCAR drivers race dirt track sprint cars. Ryan Newman, Ken Scrader, and Kasey Kahne come immediately to mind. They frequently own sprint car teams and evaluate up and coming drivers. It's big business. Many sprint car drivers go on to NASCAR and other big-time circuits.
“For those who don’t know these type of cars don’t have a clutch where you can stop the restart without getting a push truck out there. It’s common for them to continue to circle the track until a restart.’
Not only circle the track under caution, but hit the throttle on/off too. Someone on the other thread questioned why would a car accelerate under caution. Because they ALL do it ALL the time. That’s what Outlaw/Sprint cars do to keep moving.
That video shows me two things. Trying to divine Stewart’s intentions from the front wheel direction is pretty tough when they wobble like a bad shopping cart wheel even on the straightaway. They are always turning one way or the other just to keep it going straight. And, visibility out the right front direction is zero. That is where the pedestrian chose to walk. I wonder why they don’t use some lexan so you could see a little thru the wing.
In the video, you can clearly hear someone gunning their engine just as Ward was hit. Considering that there would have been a delay of about half to three-quarters of a second for the sound to reach the camera, it does appear to me that Stewart gunned his engine just before the hit.
Stewart actually did something like this to me about 12 years ago at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon Raceway). I was walking across a temporary road in the paddock area when Stewart was coming off the track in Friday practice. I didn’t see him coming, but was loudly “advised” of his presence by a roar of his engine. (And you better believe that I got out of the way quickly after hearing that!)
This appears to be a habit for him. But you can’t see anything in the video to suggest that his car jerked sideways towards Ward as a result.
However - the fact that he gunned his engine (if that proves to be the case) will look very bad for him, and could get him sent to jail.
Read the end of the article @ 164. Looks like Stewart is a creature of habit.
Who said he intentionally killed the guy?
It was just Tony being Tony, only this time he made a “mistake”, a huge mistake
One thing is for sure. They would not have to tell me I cant race.
I would still be in shock and on my knees
Correct. Lots of “he did it on purpose” comments from folks who have no idea what they are talking about.
also, Tony just loves to race these cars. So does Kasey Kahne.
Read the end of the article at #164. Not the first time Stewart has tapped someone and caused problems.
Agreed. You really can’t equate sprint cars with anything else. They’re designed for steering with the throttle and the front end is very loose.
Did Tony spotter warn him that the guy was on the track?
‘if Tony Stewart was black?’
As a black conservative, I would think the response would be the same. If a person intentionally kills a person, that person is guilty of homicide. Now we just have to decide if it is manslaughter or murder.
The multimillionaire is known to participate in races with purses worth less than $3,000 and drive alongside drivers of varying ages and talent levels.
A fool and his money are soon parted. What kind of 'effing idiot would risk his well-being, his finances, and now his reputation over something like this?
I thought Freepers would be the last ones to rush to judgement but you’re proving me wrong.
Sprint car racing does not use spotters.
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