Tony Stewart Apparently Hits Walking Driver With Sprint Car

[gohusk]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

I enjoyed this comment on the youtube page:

A lot of people are commenting in here as if dirt cars steer like Camrys. Easy to know who are racing fans and who aren't.

Kid's fault 100%. If he had walked back to the pits, he'd be alive right now. You don't walk down the bottom 1/3 of a race track and put yourself directly in front of a speeding dirt car and then hope he can steer around you.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

Tony would be able to fight that if they tried to do that since this wasn't at a NASCAR sanctioned event. If this was at any event sponsored by NASCAR, then that would be a legitimate possibility.

 

[WizardHawk]

I had an entirely different vision of the event based on comments here until I saw that video. Some of you made it appear as though the kid was at least a few feet away from the car and Stewart skidded into him, probably on purpose. What I see in the video is the kid going right up to the vehicle, in fact nearly got hit by the car in front of Stewart, and Stewart's car's back end moving after contact with Ward. It very clearly was not the car moving into the kid, it was the car reacting to having the kid go under his tire.

This was an avoidable situation. This notion that it happens all the time so it's on Stewart for hitting him? If drivers actually go up to moving cars in a rage all the time then put part of this on sprint car itself. A simple rule suspending any driver that approaches moving cars in anger would eliminate it.

This was 1000% on Ward.

 

[jeffro151]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

Clueless.

 

[Chewbaccer]

It was an accident, but I know Smoke feels terrible.

Given last season's broken leg, this season's struggles and this incident, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last we see of Tony Stewart behind the wheel for a while.

 

[Chewbaccer]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

Didn't take long to find the idiot of the day...

 

[Stevein2012]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

So what about the car that went before Stewart that almost hit the kid? Was that guy mad about something too and trying to scare him?

 

[Chewbaccer]

There have been great advancements in the safety of motorsports. But all the safety precautions in the world can't help you if you run out in front of a moving car.

 

[Nascar Addict]

I honestly don't know what to say.

Both drivers were in the wrong. Tony Stewart should have never been driving that close to a driver outside their car. And Kevin Ward Jr. should have waited till later to vent his frustrations with Tony.

I have been a NASCAR fan since I was a kid. And I have always seen drivers get mad, and jump out after wrecks. It's always been a dangerous thing to do. And drivers have been hurt doing this in the past. NASCAR must pass rules now that drivers must stay in their cars after wrecks until safety crews gets there, unless there is a fire.

And the punishment for not following this must be steep.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I honestly don't know what to say.

Both drivers were in the wrong. Tony Stewart should have never been driving that close to a driver outside their car. And Kevin Ward Jr. should have waited till later to vent his frustrations with Tony.

I have been a NASCAR fan since I was a kid. And I have always seen drivers get mad, and jump out after wrecks. It's always been a dangerous thing to do. And drivers have been hurt doing this in the past. NASCAR must pass rules now that drivers must stay in their cars after wrecks until safety crews gets there, unless there is a fire.

And the punishment for not following this must be steep.

I'm not gonna get in an argument about it, but I strongly disagree with NASCAR needing to make that rule.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I am interested in why you would not want to see the rule? It seems pretty sensible to me. These guys shouldn't approach the cars, no?

 

[Chewbaccer]

Just watched the video. The kid killed himself.

Would we have even heard about this if the driver in front of Stewart hit the kid instead? Because he came damn close. There's expressing your anger, and there's there's being a complete idiot. Throw your helmet at the guy. Don't run in to oncoming traffic.

 

[TigerBait1971]

What a piece of shit he is. He knew what he was doing. I don't think he wanted to run him over but he wanted him to get close and light them up to intimidate him because he didn't want a young punk showing him up. But apparently he forgot he was in a sprint car. If NASCAR has any balls they'll give him a lifetime ban.

And there it is

 

[Chewbaccer]

I am interested in why you would not want to see the rule? It seems pretty sensible to me. These guys shouldn't approach the cars, no?

There's been too many legendary moments. Had this rule been in place would we have seen Yarborough vs Allison at Daytona in 79? I've been watching NASCAR my entire life, and I've never seen any driver get injured after exiting his car following a crash. All drivers in the professional ranks know to not run out in front of a moving stock car.

If NASCAR starts making rules based on accidents that happen at a sprint car race, then I'm done with NASCAR.

 

[gohusk]

So what about the car that went before Stewart that almost hit the kid? Was that guy mad about something too and trying to scare him?

And did you notice that Tony was taking a higher line than just about everybody else? My question is wtf was the spotter telling him if he had one.

 

[WizardHawk]

And did you notice that Tony was taking a higher line than just about everybody else? My question is wtf was the spotter telling him if he had one.

Wrong. Watch the video again. The first two cars to go past him after he left his vehicle were on higher lines. The kid intentionally went down the track to force the confrontation. The car in front of Stewarts nearly clipped him as well.

This incident happened at the end of a turn. The accident that lead to this confrontation happened at the end of the skid out of that turn.

Stewart was on a higher line than the car in front of him, but on the same line as two other cars that had already gone past the kid.

This is not on Stewart. Let your emotions go and see this for what it is, and avoidable tragic accident caused by a driver challenging a moving vehicle and losing.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

There's been too many legendary moments. Had this rule been in place would we have seen Yarborough vs Allison at Daytona in 79? I've been watching NASCAR my entire life, and I've never seen any driver get injured after exiting his car following a crash. All drivers in the professional ranks know to not run out in front of a moving stock car.

If NASCAR starts making rules based on accidents that happen at a sprint car race, then I'm done with NASCAR.

I guess that I see your point. I just always thought the post race fights were juvenile and dumb. It isn't racing.

 

[Retroram52]

As already has been mentioned, if there is no criminal investigation, Ward's family will launch a civil lawsuit. They may possibly settle out of court and once that is completed, Tony will face an eternal court of public opinion. The last one will take forever to disappear as every time Tony wins a race (if he decides to continue driving) some reporter or people will revisit this.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I guess that I see your point. I just always thought the post race fights were juvenile and dumb. It isn't racing.

It's not racing, but I don't mind seeing the competitive spirit of a driver come out after the race.