Tony Stewart hits driver who was not in a car!

[Upset]

This is breaking news. Tony Stewart was racing at a dirt track Saturday night when his car made contact with the car driven by Kevin Ward. Ward got out of his car to confront Stewart - brilliant idea - and as Stewart's car was passing him his rear tire hit him. No word yet on how seriously Ward may be injured. Witnesses said it appeared accidental, although this could wind up being bad for Stewart.

Here is the story from espn.com:

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup...new-york-state

And here, allegedly, is the video. It's very early, but as far as I can tell it's authentic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja7TlxpPb_8

Update: USA Today now reporting Kevin Ward was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Ongoing investigation, Stewart cooperating, no criminal charges pending at this time:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...park/13855401/

[Buttercup]

Darwin award for the the pissed Ward walking on the track acting macho. Wonder if Stewart was trying to scare him? His car made a sharp right just before his back tire got Ward.

[cindyt]

All crime news goes here.

[Wendy A.]

HOLY SHIT!! This isn't going to end well for him.

[KiwiDeathy]

oh my lord, what on earth was he doing walking out onto the track? he paid for that mistake the poor guy

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

Hopefully the idiot died before he could spread his stupid genes to the next generation. I feel bad for his family. RIP Dipshit.

Update: Povero indicated Stewart, 43, was ''fully cooperative'' and that the incident is not being investigated as a criminal matter.

[TheDude]

Here's your sign. Should not have been walking out on the track to start a fight with Smoke to begin with. Common sense should always come into play when your car gets spun out and its tires go flat, STAY WITH THE VEHICLE UNLESS YOU ARE ON FIRE!!!!

[ozzysmom]

How awful! Kevin Ward Jr. should not have been out on the track from the video I saw, BUT knowing he had just been involved in the crash, shouldn't Tony Stewart have been driving MUCH closer to the inside of the track as he passed by the accident scene? Tony Stewart is known for being a bit of a hot head, I think he may have been trying to intimate/scare Kevin as he drove by him and he just got waaaaay to close and clipped Kevin with his right read tire....

[McMorbid]

Could be the case Ozzysmom. Either way Ward should never have walked into a race.

[ozzysmom]

Could be the case Ozzysmom. Either way Ward should never have walked into a race.

VERY true. Had he stay in or with his car he would be alive right now.....

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

The legendary Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan just gave the best quote I've heard so far regarding if it was intentional. He said, "We have to give Tony Stewart the benefit of the doubt here because the alternative is unthinkable".

[Buttercup]

Tony's quick swerve towards Ward bothers me. On the other hand, Ward stupidity put himself in the line of fire.

[Upset]

Apparently Stewart hit the throttle. Don't know if it was to intimidate him, throw dirt up on him, or whatever. But obviously dirt isn't the most stable surface and it caused his car to fishtail a bit. Don't get me wrong, this still would have been 100% preventable by Ward not acting like a dumbass.

PS Thanks, Cindy. Since nobody has been charged with anything at this point, I wasn't sure where to put the thread.

[Wendy A.]

I say its Ward's fault for walking into a race. Not the smartest thing to do. Save the dramatics for AFTER the race. What was he hoping to accomplish by walking out there? If it was getting ran the fuck over.. Bravo he succeeded!

[PiggyTx]

Darwin award for the the pissed Ward walking on the track acting macho. Wonder if Stewart was trying to scare him? His car made a sharp right just before his back tire got Ward.

that is exactly what I saw too. I know Ward was totally in wrong, but Stewart being the jerk off hot head he is, I would not doubt it that he tried to scare him. imo

[TheDude]

There is probably footage from the in car camera and the in car camera of the car behind Smoke so we will probably see what really happened.

To me it looks like he grabbed a hold of the car and the momentum flipped and tossed him.

[Upset]

There is probably footage from the in car camera and the in car camera of the car behind Smoke so we will probably see what really happened.

To me it looks like he grabbed a hold of the car and the momentum flipped and tossed him.

Do they have cameras in those cars? It's not exactly high-end racing.

[TheDude]

Do they have cameras in those cars? It's not exactly high-end racing.

I was reading a comment on an article saying he had a Go Pro so maybe there is extra footage.

[SheeBee]

That testosterone will get you into trouble fast won't it? I don't know anything about Nascar or their racers. I came for the video. So I have no idea what reputation Stewart has but it appears Ward was attempting the "I'm going to kick your ass move". I thought he reached out for the car.

[Upset]

I was reading a comment on an article saying he had a Go Pro so maybe there is extra footage.

Well, I know the police were asking the public to give them video, so maybe we will at least see more angles. I read that when the cops were questioning Stewart, they hadn't seen any video yet. And what I found was amateur video. I am guessing something like this wasn't televised.

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

I'm interested to see other angles. Honestly from the angle I've seen you can't really tell if he swerved before he hit him or if hitting him forced the swerve. Not that it matters... Cars swerve all the time and even if he did swerve before he hit him it would be virtually impossible to charge and convict him of anything. I guess if Stewart gives a press conference wearing a shirt that says "I meant to kill him!!!" and just chants that over and over they might arrest him. Other than that I don't see it happening.

[McMorbid]

The swerve is certainly questionable. Although when racing on dirt tracks you will sometimes accelerate to steer. It allows the vehicle to momentarily break traction and aim you in a different direction once traction is regained. It's very common when trying to avoid an obstacle. Also everything approaches very fast leaving extremely small windows to make decisions. I believe he was trying to get past Ward because he saw him approach the car and thus swerved by punching the gas. But I'm hoping for more video angles myself.

[PurrPurr]

Looks like this isn't the first time he's hit someone and sent them to the hospital.

Sorry for the driver who died, though. 20 years old, geez.

[Seagorath]

That young boy should have stayed off the track. You have to stay off the track. Stewart was probably pissed and wanted to scare the lad a bit. The lad got too close to the back of that car and paid the price.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=969_1407652422

[McMorbid]

After watching the video several more times I believe the car swerved from contact with Ward or maybe a last second attempt to miss him. Dumbass shouldn't have let his temper get the best of him.

[Wendy A.]

I don't think he'd hit him on purpose. Even though he has a temper, I don't think it would be worth his effort, or career to hit the guy. Stewart is still my favorite frickin' driver.

[MiraculousMandarin]

The guy walked out on a track full of racing cars. I question whether it was worth the amount of gas it took to run him over.

[Buttercup]

Being more awake now than I was when I first looked at the video this morning (I had only watched it once), it does look like Stewart swerved after Ward was hit, not before.

I hope this is a lesson to all future, testosterone filled rookie drivers: Stay in your fucking car stupid!

[TheDude]

Being more awake now than I was when I first looked at the video this morning (I had only watched it once), it does look like Stewart swerved after Ward was hit, not before.

I hope this is a lesson to all future, testosterone filled rookie drivers: Stay in your fucking car stupid!

I think Ward slipped which put him in line enough with Tony's car to be clipped.

Sorry but I don't see where Tony Stewart had anything to do with the initial crash either.

[ozzysmom]

I'm sure T.S. didn't try to hit him but rather scare him and with the traction being crap, his car swiped him instead. He seems to have caught him with the back tire while it was sliding.
And I am, by NO MEANS, a Tony Stewart fan. He's my least favorite, but there is NO way he tried to hit that guy.

[cleanskull]

You just don't mosey out on a live track. The Sprint Cup today is having some real problems too. Safest place to stay is in your car. Unless it's on fire as previously mentioned.

[geekygirl]

This will be one of those video clips that are analyzed and re-analyzed over and over again, like Dale Earnhardt's, and eventually the accident investigation team will release its findings. Even if they determine that Tony Stewart wasn't responsible, there will always be a question in everyone's minds as to whether it was intentional. No winners in this one, especially for Kevin Ward, who indeed deserves a Darwin Award for his stupidity.

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

I don't know if he's done it yet or if he will do it but I hope TS calls Ward's family to express his condolences.

[McMorbid]

That might be a bad idea if Ward's family is blaming TS. They may take it offensively.

[ozzysmom]

I don't know if he's done it yet or if he will do it but I hope TS calls Ward's family to express his condolences.

I suspect that Tony is in shock after what happened. I'm sure will address Kevin's grieving family.....

[Upset]

I suspect that Tony is in shock after what happened. I'm sure will address Kevin's grieving family.....

Yeah I am sure he is still in shock. At first, he was apparently still planning to race today, which was crazy.

[ozzysmom]

I'm sure he never intended to race today but he was still scheduled to. He's probably a mess right now.

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

Yeah it took him awhile to even issue a statement. I'd bet money he's already sent out feelers privately to the family to see if they were open to accepting his call.

[Upset]

Yeah it took him awhile to even issue a statement. I'd bet money he's already sent out feelers privately to the family to see if they were open to accepting his call.

His family is in a terrible position. They lose a child, and deep down they must realize it was mostly if not entirely his own fault. I wouldn't be surprised if they are in denial about that, and are directing a lot of anger toward Stewart. Maybe they will need some time. Just speculating, of course.

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

Yeah, the surviving family is hardly ever rational.

[ozzysmom]

I'm sure his Kevin's family is so distraught right now and Tony is probably the last person they want to hear of. Maybe in a few days, but not now. At least, I think, that's how I would feel.
Like I've said, I'm not a fan of Tony Stewart's but I'm really feeling for him today. He must be torn up over this.....

[duchessmary]

Act like an idiot, die like an idiot.

[Mammy]

Act like an idiot, die like an idiot.

Short, sweet, and to the point.

[babyblujems]

Speaking with my husband (who has raced these cars) and he states that it is very hard to see out of them at times. While Tony had certainly slowed down, he was still going pretty fast (at least 40mph). Ward was wearing black and he actually ran towards Tony's car, thus making him even more likely to get hurt. As someone previously mentioned, they tend to hit the throttle on dirt tracks because it helps break the groove and the racer can steer easier. Sometimes this causes the car to slide sideways and that is what appears to have happened in this case. Of course we will never know for certain if there was an intent here other then to avoid Ward, but I would like to think that was Stewart's intent.

[Squishy]

It looked like Kevin Ward was actually walking right to T.S's car!

[Upset]

Newer article from espn.com, discussing the decision to not race today:

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup...-kevin-ward-jr

Includes a statement from Stewart: "There aren't words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr. It's a very emotional time for all involved, and it is the reason I've decided not to participate in today's race at Watkins Glen. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy."

Also a statement from the Ward family: "We appreciate the prayers and support we are receiving from the community, but we need time to grieve and wrap our heads around all of this."

[ozzysmom]

Speaking with my husband (who has raced these cars) and he states that it is very hard to see out of them at times. While Tony had certainly slowed down, he was still going pretty fast (at least 40mph). Ward was wearing black and he actually ran towards Tony's car, thus making him even more likely to get hurt. As someone previously mentioned, they tend to hit the throttle on dirt tracks because it helps break the groove and the racer can steer easier. Sometimes this causes the car to slide sideways and that is what appears to have happened in this case. Of course we will never know for certain if there was an intent here other then to avoid Ward, but I would like to think that was Stewart's intent.

Thank you for this view point. It makes total sense!

[Seagorath]

Kevin Ward, Jr.

Young looking kid. Could have been anybody's son...

[beep]

If a race driver walks on to the track or tries to confront another driver, are they fined heavily or deducted points? If not, they really should start doing it... The organizers would be partly do blame if they don't heavily punish them because I know it's a common occurrence and I don't even watch racing.

Also, am I the only one who hasn't got a clue who Tony Stewart is? Lol.

[neilmpenny]

This is breaking news. Tony Stewart was racing at a dirt track Saturday night when his car made contact with the car driven by Kevin Ward. Ward got out of his car to confront Stewart - brilliant idea - and as Stewart's car was passing him his rear tire hit him. No word yet on how seriously Ward may be injured. Witnesses said it appeared accidental, although this could wind up being bad for Stewart.

Indeed.