VIDEO: NASCAR driver hits and kills competitor during race

[HausOfMark 4,291]

this happen like 45 mins from me and the nascar race was like 15 from me.

 

very tragic.

[itsfabio 113]

OMG ! What the hell Tony Stewart  
RIP Kevin :(

[SKANK 14,288]

I have followed NASCAR since before I was a teenager- I am 25 now. Tony Stewart has always been my favorite driver. It's a terrible tragedy and Tony has to live with this for the rest of his life. It's going to be hard for non-race fans to quite understand but Tony couldn't quite see him until it was too late.. the blue car #45 almost hit the guy and the guy got even closer to confront Tony for the incident on the previous lap which was merely a racing situation. Tempers can get heated when you're going that fast on a tight surface so Kevin probably just wanted to make sure Tony knew that he wasn't appreciative of the hard racing in Turn 1. The bad thing is that he immediately jumped from his car and the caution flag had literally just came out- Kevin was out of his car before the safety crews could even get over there- and then proceeded to approach the cars coming at him. The track is very dimly lit and the guy is wearing a black firesuit and a black helmet and is practically running... Keep in mind the cars that they are racing are very different from cars that race on your regular asphalt tracks- there is little to no traction and the cars are designed to be sideways in the corners at a high rate of speed so the cars have a lot of "stagger" built in to them. Tony had little to no time to react and to make matters worse these cars have a huge wing on top of them to promote downforce, otherwise the front wheels would lift off the ground. The wing extends down to the right side of the car blocking some vision and the guy that was hit was approaching from the right side.... it's just a terrible accident and I am absolutely sick at my stomach for Kevin Wards family but just as sick over the accusations that Tony would do this on purpose..

 

 

Thanks for the context, it cleared up a few things I didn't understand. What an awful situation.

[Born Brave 2,072]

http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/760185/witness-to-tony-stewart-crash-says-driver-could-not-have-avoided-hitting-other-driver/

 

Ontario County Sheriff Phil Povero said Monday that the investigation is progressing into the deadly crash involving NASCAR star Tony Stewart at a dirt track in the Finger Lakes.
Stewart's car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. during Saturday night's race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. Ward got out of his car before he was hit. Ward was 20 years old.

Povero said the autopsy on Ward was conducted earlier Monday, and the Ontario County Coroner ruled the cause of his death was massive blunt force trauma.

Povero said at this time, there are no facts that support any criminal behavior or conduct, or probable cause in the crash, but emphasized that the investigation is open.

Investigators have now reviewed two videos of the incident. Povero said they show two different angles of Ward walking on the track after a crash at turn two on the 14th lap, and then being hit by Stewart's winged sprint car.
Witness to Tony Stewart Crash Says Driver Could Not Have Avoided Hitting Other Driver

"From what I saw, Tony did everything in his power to turn down away from Kevin to avoid him," said sprint car driver Cory Sparks.
Sparks was just a few cars behind Stewart during Saturday's race. He said videos that have been posted online do not give an accurate picture of what happened.

"People say that they heard the engine rev up and he gassed it. In a sprint car, the only way to steer is you steer with the rear wheels as much as you do the steering wheel. In my opinion, what he did was he gassed it to turn down away from him," said Sparks.

Sparks also said drivers are very limited with the amount they can see out of the right side of the car.

"Kevin was wearing all-black. A black fire suit, a black helmet, which in normal situations isn't a big deal, they are to go with the colors of your car. It was tragic accident and a mistake was made," said Sparks.

Povero said investigators have spoken to Stewart twice, and they are continuing to speak with other racers, track staff, and those in the stands to figure out exactly what happened.

"I think that the biggest thing is to remember Kevin Ward as a great race car driver, not a victim of Tony Stewart," said Sparks.

- See more at: http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/760185/witness-to-tony-stewart-crash-says-driver-could-not-have-avoided-hitting-other-driver/#sthash.27DyzLWi.dpuf

 

[uo111 5,283]

What an idiot.

 

He committed suicide as far as I'm concerned. 

[Applause 650]

It's questionable, for sure. But, him going out onto the raceway when in a race was not smart at all. R.I.P though.

[Skins 40]

This Kevin kid is a dumbass.

[Born Brave 2,072]

UPDATE:

 

Tony Stewart will NOT face criminal charges in the aftermath of the tragedy. More info: 

 

A grand jury has decided Tony Stewart will not face charges for his role in the on-track death of sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. Prosecutors in upstate New York made the announcement Wednesday, just hours after the grand jury finished hearing testimony in the case. Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo also said Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of his death, according to toxicology reports. Tantillo looked at the evidence and could have brought charges or dropped the case himself, but said last week that the matter would be decided by the grand jury. Stewart could have been charged with second-degree manslaughter under New York law, experts said, if prosecutors believed he "recklessly caused the death of another person." Negligent homicide also was another possibility.(ESPN)(9-24-2014)