
PHOTO BY CLINTON NGUYEN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
As drivers zipped around the Canandaigua Motorsports Park at exceptionally high speeds on Aug. 9, Kevin Ward Jr.’s No. 13 sprint car collided into the track’s wall. The 20-year-old authoritatively escaped his unresponsive car and started walking toward oncoming traffic. As the yellow caution flag waved, Ward was struck and killed by a distinguished opponent: 16-year veteran and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.
Stewart’s right rear tire hit the New York native, sending the displaced driver swiftly through the air. After the collision, Ward lay on the track, motionless. He was pronounced dead later that day, due to “massive blunt trauma,” according to a NASCAR report.
Immediately following the incident, Stewart’s future — both in and away from racing — appeared bleak. Accidents happen in competitive racing (and especially NASCAR) all the time. In fact, 68 fatal accidents have been recorded since 1948, averaging about one death per year. Many spectators, though, thought this particular “accident “ was far from unintentional.
Ward and Stewart were racing side by side heading into a turn; Ward crashed into the wall as a direct result. In the frightening video (which I have unfortunately watched multiple times), Ward gestured something to Stewart as he walks towards Stewart’s oncoming car. Most troubling of all, in the video, as Stewart’s car emerges on screen (and immediately before Ward is hit), the sound of a car’s throttle roars.
There were two charges against Stewart submitted for the grand jury’s consideration: second degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The Ontario County District Attorney’s office declared on Sept. 24 that Stewart will not face criminal charges for the events that occurred on that fateful August night. Additionally, toxicology reports showed that Kevin Ward was under enough influence of marijuana to impair judgment.
I’m skeptical to believe that Stewart intentionally hit a fellow passionate driver with the metal death trap that is a sprint car. With a 410ci engine and outputs of up to 1100 horsepower, these machines can exceed 140 miles per hour easily and take out nearly anything in their path.
Firstly, I believe that it is always a terrible idea to walk down a racetrack before all cars have reached default caution speed. Many cars, including Stewart’s, were not at a low enough speed for caution regulations.
Following Ward’s death, NASCAR has issued a new rule, stating that drivers must remain inside their car if an incident “leaves it stopped on or near the racing surface.”econdly, there is no proof that Stewart purposely ran Ward over. There are eyewitness accounts that condemn Stewart as a cold-blooded murderer, and based on the video evidence I’ve seen, I cannot exactly blame them.
Wendi Ward, Kevin’s aunt, wrote a letter to the public addressing the situation. Obviously under extreme emotional distress, she questions why Kevin’s toxicology report was even an issue and why Stewart’s car was not impounded.
I believe that Ward’s influence of marijuana at the time should not play any factor whatsoever into the ruling. If Stewart was arrested for homicide or manslaughter, and then later on, tests discovered Ward had used banned substances, I highly doubt Stewart would be released.
Stewart should have received some extent of testing. Though the thought of a professional driver abusing substances before a race seems ludicrous, since Stewart was facing criminal charges, the accident should have retrospectively been treated as a crime scene. Additionally, it perturbs me that Stewart’s car was not impounded. Evidence must be collected at any crime scene, and since Stewart was facing criminal charges, evidence must be collected and examined thoroughly.
Tony Stewart adores sprint car racing. After suffering a leg injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2013 season, he was eager to return to his favorite activity. It seems very unlikely he would simultaneously throw away a passion of his and become a murderer, no matter how frustrated he may have been.
Stewart never would have even considered giving up sprint car racing before the accident. It’s how his NASCAR career began, where he got his big break. After his crash in 2013 dealt him a broken leg, Stewart invested about $110,000 on brand new fire suits and helmets for almost 50 drivers who needed upgraded safety gear.
After the accident, though, Stewart remains unsure about his future.
“It’s going to be a long time before you ever see me in a sprint car again, if ever. I don’t have any desire at this moment to get back in a car,” Stewart said to the Associated Press following the grand jury’s decision.
“If I had the decision to go right now to a race, I wouldn’t. I don’t even know when I’ll go to a sprint car race again to watch. I can promise you it’s going to be a long time before you ever see me back in one.”