Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race

[BballTim]

For those saying you could hear the engine revving as he came around the corner, all well and good but there are other cars that go past without slowing and you can hear their engines rev too. By the looks of things, the lighting at the track was extremely poor and when you're driving in a RACE it wouldn't be easy to see a lunatic on the track walking towards your car. Especially as you're coming out of a turn.

As they say, guns don't kill ducklings, ducklings kill ducklings... this guy breached the ultimate rule of motor racing by walking out onto the track.

RIP to the young man!

  I don't think you can tell much from the video, but from what I've heard the witnesses are saying that he hit the gas when his car was right even with the kid. That's unlikely to be a coincidence. Also, it's fairly unlikely that he never saw the kid. If visibility was that bad at the slower speeds they were going they'd never be able to complete a race. I think Stewart could make a better argument if he'd hit the guy head on, claiming that he didn't see him or couldn't stop or didn't think the guy was going to step in front of the car. He knew the guy was there and if he hit the gas with the kid right next to the car for whatever reason then Stewart isn't exactly blameless.

[paidthecost2betheboss]

1 year ago Stewart was involved in a incident that caused a 19 year old woman to suffer a broken back on a track. He said later it was his fault.
He's a hot head. Known quantity in a sport filled with em'

He drifted the kid into the wall, dropped into the inside of the next turn. Would not have seen the car until coming out of the turn as the neck restraining system would have prevented him though the caution flag woulda already have been clear to all drivers.

Stewart comes back around and maybe planned on roostering the kids ride and the kid himself as a _____you. He drove in exactly the manner you would if you were trying to throw dirt on the  walled ride.

I got friends from Seekonk. None see anything but Tony being a prick and either not imagining the kid would get in the way or saw the kid and tried to scare him with a swerve (a.k.a, git off the ____ing track bro)

Nobody thinks he tried to kill him but nobody thinks he didn't see him. They are drivers. They were under caution driving about as fast as you do on the expressway if you follow the speed limit or even slower.

This wasn't F1.

It would be criminal negligent homicide/Manslaughter 1-3rd degree in our non NASCAR world.
We are judged by the rules of getting a license.

NASCAR drivers have other rules. This was adults acting like kids and one very stupid young guy got killed cuz the other adult was acting even dumber.

[Celtics4ever]

Also are your numbers adjusted for weight (probably 1/3 of a passenger car) and race tires made specifically for that surface?

Nope, those for standard cars and I clearly mentioned that dirt could change the outcome.  I put it up as a frame of reference for those thinking that it would be easy to stop, it would not be.   The stopping distance was also more feet than the ability of a normal driver to react.   Stewart is a pro I am sure he would be superior in that regard.

It would be criminal negligent homicide/Manslaughter 1-3rd degree in our non NASCAR world.
We are judged by the rules of getting a license.

NASCAR drivers have other rules. This was adults acting like kids and one very stupid young guy got killed cuz the other adult was acting even dumber.

Why not suicide on the kid.  Running out on a highway is probably safer than what he did.

At the end of the day, this kind of behavior and culture of macho sells tickets and makes people watch them.   Until all racing leagues take a hard stance on the aggressive driving and fights stuff like this will continue.  It is part of the culture and machines moving very fast and soft squishy people is a bad combination.

Do you folks consider them athletes? I do not.  They are drivers, albeit very skilled ones.  Their sport relies on reflexes but very little on power, cardiovasular endurance.   It does require a lot of focus and mental endurance.  But at the end of the day they are driving a car and that car often negates any athletic advantage.

[D.o.s.]

Do you folks consider them athletes? I do not.  They are drivers, albeit very skilled ones.  Their sport relies on reflexes but very little on power, cardiovasular endurance.   It does require a lot of focus and mental endurance.  But at the end of the day they are driving a car and that car often negates any athletic advantage.

It's still athleticism, even if it isn't the same kind of physical prowess we associate with the more 'normal' sports.

Do you think golfers qualify?

[Moranis]

Do you folks consider them athletes? I do not.  They are drivers, albeit very skilled ones.  Their sport relies on reflexes but very little on power, cardiovasular endurance.   It does require a lot of focus and mental endurance.  But at the end of the day they are driving a car and that car often negates any athletic advantage.

It's still athleticism, even if it isn't the same kind of physical prowess we associate with the more 'normal' sports.

Do you think golfers qualify?

I don't think either are sports, but they are athletic games and as such the more athletic the person doing the activity the better. 

[mgent]

Also are your numbers adjusted for weight (probably 1/3 of a passenger car) and race tires made specifically for that surface?

Nope, those for standard cars and I clearly mentioned that dirt could change the outcome.  I put it up as a frame of reference for those thinking that it would be easy to stop, it would not be.   The stopping distance was also more feet than the ability of a normal driver to react.   Stewart is a pro I am sure he would be superior in that regard.

It would be criminal negligent homicide/Manslaughter 1-3rd degree in our non NASCAR world.
We are judged by the rules of getting a license.

NASCAR drivers have other rules. This was adults acting like kids and one very stupid young guy got killed cuz the other adult was acting even dumber.

Why not suicide on the kid.  Running out on a highway is probably safer than what he did.

At the end of the day, this kind of behavior and culture of macho sells tickets and makes people watch them.   Until all racing leagues take a hard stance on the aggressive driving and fights stuff like this will continue. It is part of the culture and machines moving very fast and soft squishy people is a bad combination.

Do you folks consider them athletes? I do not.  They are drivers, albeit very skilled ones.  Their sport relies on reflexes but very little on power, cardiovasular endurance.   It does require a lot of focus and mental endurance.  But at the end of the day they are driving a car and that car often negates any athletic advantage.

I think leagues absolutely have a hard stance and no exception rules.  Once this year Kyle Busch crashed literally 10 feet from the in-field car center, and when he tried to walk there they forced him to ride in the ambulance.  After a purposefully caused wreck (which this was) they always take care to keep the drivers separate (2 big huddles of holding back like you'd see after a dirty hit in basketball).  Obviously they're not going to ban aggressive driving, that's like banning aggressive defense so there's less injuries.

There are plenty of things in sports that can negate athletic advantage, such as skill, or passing, or jump shooting.  I'm sure you've heard of guys like Nash, who would be the equivalent of the ONE out of shape race driver (most of the rest have swimmer's bodies).

I think you're pretty off on the racing doesn't take endurance thing, that's literally what it takes the most of.  You might want to study how much G-force affects a person.  A 200lb driver is fighting approximately 600lb of force while trying to do constant arm and leg exercises, in a car that's over 100 degrees.  And that's for 4 STRAIGHT hours, there's no end of quarter, no end of half, no substitution, no we call a time out.  Some of these guys compete in triathlons, some are on the cover of fitness magazines.  Just because there's one fat guy, that shouldn't give you an idea of how much athleticism it takes.

[Celtics4ever]

I think leagues absolutely have a hard stance and no exception rules.

I disagree they do not suspend guys when this kind of melarkey happens.  They encourage the culture of feuds and the like.  It is a modern version of Circus Maximus.

I think you're pretty off on the racing doesn't take endurance thing, that's literally what it takes the most of.  You might want to study how much G-force affects a person.  A 200lb driver is fighting approximately 600lb of force while trying to do constant arm and leg exercises, in a car that's over 100 degrees.  And that's for 4 STRAIGHT hours, there's no end of quarter, no end of half, no substitution, no we call a time out.  Some of these guys compete in triathlons, some are on the cover of fitness magazines.  Just because there's one fat guy, that shouldn't give you an idea of how much athleticism it takes.

Tony Stewart has some paunch to him and Jeff Gordon is still built like a 16 year old.  Dale Sr looked more like a cadaver than a conditioned athlete.  Sorry but I do not see muscle bound nascar drivers because aren't they concerned with weight?

I said it took endurance, in my posts earlier and mental endurance.   You can post all day, you never convinces me these guys are elite athletes.   Elite drivers, yes, and professionals that could blow away us normal people at driving.  Astronauts handle  G's are they athletes?  No.   Conversation over.

[D.o.s.]

I think a definition of an athlete is probably in order.

[Donoghus]

I think a definition of an athlete is probably in order.

Good luck with that.

[indeedproceed]

1 year ago Stewart was involved in a incident that caused a 19 year old woman to suffer a broken back on a track. He said later it was his fault.
He's a hot head. Known quantity in a sport filled with em'

He drifted the kid into the wall, dropped into the inside of the next turn. Would not have seen the car until coming out of the turn as the neck restraining system would have prevented him though the caution flag woulda already have been clear to all drivers.

Stewart comes back around and maybe planned on roostering the kids ride and the kid himself as a _____you. He drove in exactly the manner you would if you were trying to throw dirt on the  walled ride.

I got friends from Seekonk. None see anything but Tony being a prick and either not imagining the kid would get in the way or saw the kid and tried to scare him with a swerve (a.k.a, git off the ____ing track bro)

Nobody thinks he tried to kill him but nobody thinks he didn't see him. They are drivers. They were under caution driving about as fast as you do on the expressway if you follow the speed limit or even slower.

This wasn't F1.

It would be criminal negligent homicide/Manslaughter 1-3rd degree in our non NASCAR world.
We are judged by the rules of getting a license.

NASCAR drivers have other rules. This was adults acting like kids and one very stupid young guy got killed cuz the other adult was acting even dumber.

Yeah, I would equate the spirit of what Stewart did to a brush-back in baseball. Intimidation/dominance.

But because of the toys Stewart was playing with (a car vs a baseball), far more caution is called for. It should be a felony charge, and a serious one.

[D.o.s.]

I think a definition of an athlete is probably in order.

Good luck with that.

Well, yeah.

[mgent]

I think leagues absolutely have a hard stance and no exception rules.

I disagree they do not suspend guys when this kind of melarkey happens.  They encourage the culture of feuds and the like.  It is a modern version of Circus Maximus.

I think you're pretty off on the racing doesn't take endurance thing, that's literally what it takes the most of.  You might want to study how much G-force affects a person.  A 200lb driver is fighting approximately 600lb of force while trying to do constant arm and leg exercises, in a car that's over 100 degrees.  And that's for 4 STRAIGHT hours, there's no end of quarter, no end of half, no substitution, no we call a time out.  Some of these guys compete in triathlons, some are on the cover of fitness magazines.  Just because there's one fat guy, that shouldn't give you an idea of how much athleticism it takes.

Tony Stewart has some paunch to him and Jeff Gordon is still built like a 16 year old.  Dale Sr looked more like a cadaver than a conditioned athlete.  Sorry but I do not see muscle bound nascar drivers because aren't they concerned with weight?

I said it took endurance, in my posts earlier and mental endurance.   You can post all day, you never convinces me these guys are elite athletes.   Elite drivers, yes, and professionals that could blow away us normal people at driving.  Astronauts handle  G's are they athletes?  No.   Conversation over.

No, they don't suspend drivers, because it's not a drivers' sport.  Rather, they penalize the team, or they give the drivers' fines like they did to Ambrose for the punch.  They don't suspend any players in any sport when they point and yell and pretend like they're about to fight each other, so I don't see the big deal about that.

Yeah astronauts have to handle G's, while sitting down, not while they're competing.  And actually, after the launch, astronauts have to deal with 0 G, which actually makes them incredibly weak and unathletic by the time they get back to Earth.  Instead of having to move their 200 pounds, or the 600 pounds they would in a race car, they're hardly lifting any weight.

Jeff Gordon looks 16 because he's only 5 feet tall.  I already admitted that Tony is fat, but he's one of the worst drivers out there.







They're not scared of putting on 10-20 pounds when they have 1000 horse power.  But you're right, there's no need for them to body build like say Dwight.  Like I said they're more like swimmers.

[mgent]

I think a definition of an athlete is probably in order.

Google tells us
"a person trained to compete in a sport involving physical strength, speed or endurance. "

I don't mind if people don't consider drivers athletes, however I don't think there's any truth when people say withstanding one of those races doesn't take athleticism.  Or that athleticism doesn't give you an edge.

[Celtics4ever]

How long has Casey Kane been anorexic?   Is he trying out for the Carpenters?

[SHAQATTACK]

1 year ago Stewart was involved in a incident that caused a 19 year old woman to suffer a broken back on a track. He said later it was his fault.
He's a hot head. Known quantity in a sport filled with em'

He drifted the kid into the wall, dropped into the inside of the next turn. Would not have seen the car until coming out of the turn as the neck restraining system would have prevented him though the caution flag woulda already have been clear to all drivers.

Stewart comes back around and maybe planned on roostering the kids ride and the kid himself as a _____you. He drove in exactly the manner you would if you were trying to throw dirt on the  walled ride.

I got friends from Seekonk. None see anything but Tony being a prick and either not imagining the kid would get in the way or saw the kid and tried to scare him with a swerve (a.k.a, git off the ____ing track bro)

Nobody thinks he tried to kill him but nobody thinks he didn't see him. They are drivers. They were under caution driving about as fast as you do on the expressway if you follow the speed limit or even slower.

This wasn't F1.

It would be criminal negligent homicide/Manslaughter 1-3rd degree in our non NASCAR world.
We are judged by the rules of getting a license.

NASCAR drivers have other rules. This was adults acting like kids and one very stupid young guy got killed cuz the other adult was acting even dumber.

Yeah, I would equate the spirit of what Stewart did to a brush-back in baseball. Intimidation/dominance.

But because of the toys Stewart was playing with (a car vs a baseball), far more caution is called for. It should be a felony charge, and a serious one.

I agree.  Well  stated .   I've been watching racing and TS since he came to motorsports.   He is born hothead and like Metta world peace , not above ruthless tactics .  One young lady driver was seriously hurt at the SAME track , due to TS getting mad and wrecking the field , which put her in the hospital with major back neck injury.

I'm certain he would NOT  want to kill that driver.     He is not a killer .    But he is not a saint , if you look at his record , he is not above administering pain or payback to ANY driver he thinks may have WRONGED him personally.

I firmly believe he fully I tended to scare the bejesus  out of Ward .  With a close pass,  his is also a intimidation tactic ,  saying don't mess with me boy , I'll put you in the wall any time I want .

During the heat of the moment both got to close .   Tonys mindset was NOT of that as a protector ,  he was looking to punish the kid more .  He should have slowed down or stopped ,  no reason to even chance hitting Ward.  Sure Ward was not being smart , but Tony , being the twice his age and experience , needed to be THE cool adult in this situation , slow down , move away from his crazy mad kid .   Tony is guilty , of poor judgement , not defusing the situation.....one that he started ....by wrecking the kid ......you could argue that Stuart s hot temper actions led to the whole thing .

Tony Steward is a huge jerk ,  and a lot of other words I can post .   

He has this young man death to live with and explain to his maker one day......good luck Tony with that.