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I have been around racing since I was about 17 & I am now 74, almost 75.

I have followed drag racing, midgets, sprinters, NASCAR, drag boats, Trans Am, Can Am, & Indy cars.

I have enjoyed many a day & a night at the races.

I have known some of the top drag racers—Don Garlits—Don Prudomme—Paula Murphy- Tommy Ivo & countless others. Chris Karamesines—”The Greek” is one of long time friends & favorite person. He is over 80 & still driving Top Fuel dragsters and he passes the annual physical exams with flying colors.

The event where this accident occurred was a night time event. IT WAS NOT DAYLIGHT!!!

The dead driver was wearing a dark colored driving suit, based upon the pics shown on ABC this AM.

While there are lights at the track, trying to see a driver in a dark driving suit who is walking on the track during an event must be impossible.

Then, I ask myself this question:

WHAT DRIVER anywhere in the world is expecting to have a PEDESTRIAN on the racing surface?????

I don’t care if is a straight line of racing—like drag racingsuch as Pomona Winternationals——

OR a road race course like Sonoma——

OR an oval like Daytona——

Or a dirt track small oval-—

NO DRIVER ever is expecting a PEDESTRIAN to be on the track.

ABC stated that the young man exited his car—which was up against the outside wall & cushion, with a flat tire.

HE DELIBERATELY walked into the field of racing drivers.

Another car swerved & missed him. I don’t think Tony even saw him until it was too late....if at all.

I don’t know a single driver who is NOT competitive.

I also don’t know know a single driver who would deliberately run over another driver.

For those in the media who are saying that NASCAR should NOT let Tony race today are showing the highest degree of ignorance I ever thought I would see from them.

NASCAR had nothing to do with last night’s race.

USAC runs those Sprint Car races, I think.

IF USAC wants to make a rule that drivers are NOT to leave their cars—except perhaps in the case of fire—& are NEVER to enter into the racing surface like this young man did—then let them!!!

Otherwise-—The media can just plain shut up.

A ‘commentator’ on ESPN early this AM was in a rant about how Tony should not drive today & hinted that if Tony did drive, it would be so disrespectful to the driver who got killed. I was chewing my teeth. If I could have I would have called this ‘sports expert’ and told him off.

It was glaringly apparent that this ‘sports expert’ doesn’t know a thing about motor racing & doesn’t have any connection to any of the drivers.

I hope Tony drives today & for many more days & nightsfor the rest of his life.

The same for all the others who race.

From the time we are able to toddle—we ALL are told NOT TO PLAY IN THE STREET or in THE TRAFFIC!!!

In the end, it appears more and more that Ward may be more at fault than Stewart.

Let's consider these factors:

1) it was nighttime, and with the lights on that dirt track it's harder to see the contrast between light and dark objects. Because Ward was wearing a nearly black-color racing suit, that would have made seeing him on the track very difficult.
2) Ward should never have gone to the center of the track even with a full-track yellow. The fact another driver nearly hit him before the collision showed Ward was already in a highly dangerous situation and he ran the risk of being run over by someone else on the track anyway.

Ward should have gotten off the track as soon as the accident happened and settled his dispute with Stewart after the race, even if it came to fisticuffs. If that happened, Stewart would have been admonished by NASCAR officials and we'd all written off this incident as another case of "that's racin'."