WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Tony Stewart pulled out of the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen Sunday, 12 hours after the three-time champion struck and killed a sprint car driver who had climbed from his car and was on the darkened dirt track trying to confront Stewart during a race in upstate New York.
Though police say charges have not been ruled out, there is no evidence of criminal intent. But a man is dead and, criminal or not, Stewart is responsible as the driver of the car that hit Ward.
Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing, said at a news conference that Stewart “feels strongly” about not competing Sunday following the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. The decision was an about-face for the organization, which initially said Stewart would be behind the wheel of his No. 14 Chevrolet when the green flag waved.
“We gave Tony some time to sleep on it. He feels strongly this is the right thing to do,” Zipadelli said. “All you can do is what you feel is right, and we feel this is right. We get through today and do it the best we can as a group.
Everyone grieves in different ways, and it’s true that sports have provided much-needed solace during times fraught with emotion and sadness. The NFL and Major League Baseball helped the entire nation heal in the dark days following 9/11. Adrian Peterson played two days after the death of his young son while Brett Favre took the field the day after his father died.
The crash happened Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, a dirt track and an extracurricular race for a driver of Stewart’s stature. Stewart frequently races in the events as a hobby to the side of the big-money NASCAR races.
Ward, a 20-year-old driver, had crashed following a bump with Stewart one lap earlier. Ward and Stewart were racing side-by-side for position as they exited a turn. Ward was on the outside when Stewart, on the bottom, seemed to slide toward Ward’s car and crowd him toward the wall. The rear tire of Stewart’s car appeared to clip the front tire of Ward’s car, and Ward spun into the fence.
Racing is a dangerous sport, and anyone who climbs into a car has made his or her peace with that. But there is a big difference between taking your life in your hands and taking someone else’s life, and Stewart needs time to process the emotional fallout. He said in his statement that “there aren’t words” to describe his sadness at the crash, and police said he was “visibly shaken” after.
On Sunday, August 10, 2014, Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said that criminal charges have not been ruled out, but that investigators also don’t have any evidence at this point in the investigation to support criminal intent.
“Stewart is free to go about his business,” Povero said.
The sheriff renewed a plea for spectators to turn over photos and videos of the crash. He said cars on the track were traveling around 30-35 mph at the time Ward was struck. Investigators were reconstructing the accident and looking into everything from the dim lighting on a portion of the track to how muddy it was, as well as if the dark firesuit Ward was wearing played a role in his death.
There is no room for distraction in a car that weighs more than a ton and can go well over 200 mph, and Stewart would have been faced with reminders of Ward and the fatal crash at every turn. It’s a good bet Stewart didn’t get much, if any, sleep on Saturday night, either, and that surely would have affected his reactions.
Some said Stewart should have raced to honor Ward’s memory. Others crassly said Stewart would be a fool to give up the precious points that could get him into the Chase. (Regan Smith will drive Stewart’s car, instead.)
