Intentionally ran over another driver (who was out of his car). Be interesting to see how this shakes out.
and hope the guy is ok
and hope the guy is ok
Allegedly, Tony Stewart has
- Thread starter missouridawg
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“People [who could see it better] said the guy got out of his car and was gesturing angrily at Tony Stewart when Tony Stewart came by during the next lap under yellow,” Rich Willis said in a phone interview with Sporting News. "He approached him and evidently when he was driving by the guy standing on the track gesturing at him, he gunned his engine.
"What happened was the back end kicked out and clipped the guy and the guy flew across the track."
"What happened was the back end kicked out and clipped the guy and the guy flew across the track."
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Read @IamMufasa on twitter. Guy witnessed the whole thing. Says it was an accident and not intentional.
Watch the video. It's on deadspin
It's pretty damning to Stewart. You can hear him gun the engine right before he hits him. The back end of the car fishtails and hits the guy, throwing him like 50 feet. I can't imagine tony hit him on purpose, probably just trying to scare him, but to gun your engine at a guy who is on foot is just insane, especially since they race on dirt. There are reports that the guy has died. If true, I wouldn't be surprised if Stewart is brought up on criminal charges.
It's pretty damning to Stewart. You can hear him gun the engine right before he hits him. The back end of the car fishtails and hits the guy, throwing him like 50 feet. I can't imagine tony hit him on purpose, probably just trying to scare him, but to gun your engine at a guy who is on foot is just insane, especially since they race on dirt. There are reports that the guy has died. If true, I wouldn't be surprised if Stewart is brought up on criminal charges.
The other driver is only 17 years old. Hope he's ok. That said I don't see how Tony can be totally to blame here with the other driver walking straight into the other oncoming drivers and heading specifically for TS. Stewart couldn't of had but maybe a second to see him walking straight at him flailing his arms. It had to of surprised the **** out of TS and he does fishtail his car so that could be to try and avoid him. I think the acceleration is just instinct to try to miss him. At least that's what I am praying is what TS's intentions were and not to actually accelerate into him.
Evidently the guy didn't make it. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nasca...igation-at-new-york-dirt-track-042049206.html
Hasn't Stewart always been kind of a hot head?
Hasn't Stewart always been kind of a hot head?
What I read said he gunned the engine at the guy, which caused him to fishtail into him. So it is Tony's fault, although not intentional. I'm sure much more will come out
Even as a lifelong Stewart fan, I'd have to say from the video I saw it looked avoidable. I'd expect he gunned it - basically being a smartass, and at the same time the guy stepped towards him.
No way he intentially ran over him, but I think he's half to blame. Not sure what you call that in the legal world. It's dumb for the driver to walk down the track like that, but being a dick with a racecar when someone is a few feet from you is just as dumb.
No way he intentially ran over him, but I think he's half to blame. Not sure what you call that in the legal world. It's dumb for the driver to walk down the track like that, but being a dick with a racecar when someone is a few feet from you is just as dumb.
As a huge Stewart fans and Nascar fan, here is my take...
He did not intentionally hit the kid. Though he did want to showboat and scare the **** out him by hitting the throttle right when he got next to him. When he did, the car jumped up the track. The rest is history.
He did not intentionally hit the kid. Though he did want to showboat and scare the **** out him by hitting the throttle right when he got next to him. When he did, the car jumped up the track. The rest is history.
Dead driver was 20, not 17. Both he and Stewart were idiots.
The guy was pronounced DOA, likely killed on impact. Hard to know as an outsider if Stewart knew what gunning the engine would do there. If he was trying to be macho and intimidate him, manslaughter charge wouldn't surprise me.
The guy was pronounced DOA, likely killed on impact. Hard to know as an outsider if Stewart knew what gunning the engine would do there. If he was trying to be macho and intimidate him, manslaughter charge wouldn't surprise me.
I don't watch NASCAR and don't have a dog in this hunt. It looks like the car just in front of Stewart, and in his line of sight, swerves out of the way. Isn't it plausible that Tony was gunning it to miss the guy on foot?
I realize Stewart has a bad reputation and I don't know the background on why, but that guy on foot was walking pretty fast right into oncoming traffic and looking for Stewart. I'm not saying he deserved it but it's very possible he caused it and that Stewart did nothing on purpose.
I've watched it several times. Ward is an idiot for what he did too.
You can't tell from that video that it was intentional or not. Stewarts past temper issues are being used to say he did it on purpose but for all we know he could have gunned it and swerved to get around him.
With that being said, I'm not sure I would race today. Just sit this one out.
You can't tell from that video that it was intentional or not. Stewarts past temper issues are being used to say he did it on purpose but for all we know he could have gunned it and swerved to get around him.
With that being said, I'm not sure I would race today. Just sit this one out.
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Yep, you also have to take into account Stewarts vision. It was on a dark corner of the track and Ward is wearing a dark colored fire suit running into oncoming cars. It's very possible Stewart saw him at the last second and gunned it and swerved and hit him trying to dodge him.
The most glaring issue in this incident was Ward's decision to approach oncoming
traffic. When he did that he took his life into his own hands based on sheer probability irregardless of the intentions of any of the other drivers. I've never been angry enough at another driver that I got out of the car and approached another moving vehicle that I knew had no intentions of stopping.
traffic. When he did that he took his life into his own hands based on sheer probability irregardless of the intentions of any of the other drivers. I've never been angry enough at another driver that I got out of the car and approached another moving vehicle that I knew had no intentions of stopping.
I would have to agree. It would be one thing to stand by your car and flip someone off, quite another to go running towards oncoming cars on a dirt track.
The video is very dark and difficult to see exactly why Stewart may have gunned it. I did notice another car that had to swerve quickly to avoid hitting the guy right before Stewart did hit him.
No matter is Stewart is at fault or not in the matter this is going to leave a black stain on him for some time. I actually feel sorry for the guy because no matter what kind of dick he has been, I would find it hard to believe he would intentionally hit a guy on a dirt track race.
The video is very dark and difficult to see exactly why Stewart may have gunned it. I did notice another car that had to swerve quickly to avoid hitting the guy right before Stewart did hit him.
No matter is Stewart is at fault or not in the matter this is going to leave a black stain on him for some time. I actually feel sorry for the guy because no matter what kind of dick he has been, I would find it hard to believe he would intentionally hit a guy on a dirt track race.
Just watched the video and Ward was almost asking to get killed. Not clear to me from the video whether Stewart could have done anything to prevent it. But witnesses say Stewart gunned his engine right before he hit him and that doesn't sound good for Stewart.
At least. I didn't look like Tony slowed down at all. But in his defense it didn't look like very many other drivers slowed down either.
I wish this video was at a slightly wider angle so you could see what path Stewart was on prior to impact. Regardless..the driver, Ward, couldn't have made a more terrible decision than to; 1 a remove himself from the vehicle without safety workers present, 2 - approach oncoming traffic aggressively.
i don't know the potential legal repercussions from the incident, but to think there would be any intentionally harmful motive from Stewart would be absurd.
i don't know the potential legal repercussions from the incident, but to think there would be any intentionally harmful motive from Stewart would be absurd.
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I don't know why you think it's a slam dunk from the video
Voluntary manslaughter would have to have the intent to kill or even injure and then death occurred. I don't know how you prove he intended to hurt the guy.
For involuntary manslaughter, Stewart would have to have "recklessly" caused the death of another. You may think he acted reckless, and I admit it looks bad, but the driver that stepped out there was the more reckless offender.
I agree this look bad, and I hate to say that if it was just some amateur driver out there I bet he never leaves the track without going through the police station first. Because this is Tony Stewart it will be handled differently.
Far from a slam dunk though. Will be interesting to watch. Such a senseless tragedy in the end.
Voluntary manslaughter would have to have the intent to kill or even injure and then death occurred. I don't know how you prove he intended to hurt the guy.
For involuntary manslaughter, Stewart would have to have "recklessly" caused the death of another. You may think he acted reckless, and I admit it looks bad, but the driver that stepped out there was the more reckless offender.
I agree this look bad, and I hate to say that if it was just some amateur driver out there I bet he never leaves the track without going through the police station first. Because this is Tony Stewart it will be handled differently.
Far from a slam dunk though. Will be interesting to watch. Such a senseless tragedy in the end.
I doubt you will find 12 random people on a grand jury that could agree that criminal charges should be filed after watching just the video posted. There are a few more than 12 sixpack experts that have seen the video, posted an opinion, and don't agree. However the civil suit is going cost Tony a pocket full of cash in legal fees alone.
This... Getting out of your car and "sending a message" to another driver is a nascar ritual. I've never seen it on a dirt track. It has no place in racing, no matter what kind of track it is.
A slight hijack, but this is the problem I have with pro sports in general... That too many shenanigans are allowed and lower level amateur levels not only assume that it is acceptable, but that it's part of "standing your ground." Like fighting in hockey and benches clearing in baseball over someone spitting the wrong way,.. These kind of things need to stop. It was a completely senseless death and the professional levels need to be setting the standards for appropriate sportsmanship and not allow drivers to unbuckle themselves to run out onto an active track to "send a message." It's uncalled for.
A slight hijack, but this is the problem I have with pro sports in general... That too many shenanigans are allowed and lower level amateur levels not only assume that it is acceptable, but that it's part of "standing your ground." Like fighting in hockey and benches clearing in baseball over someone spitting the wrong way,.. These kind of things need to stop. It was a completely senseless death and the professional levels need to be setting the standards for appropriate sportsmanship and not allow drivers to unbuckle themselves to run out onto an active track to "send a message." It's uncalled for.
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Everyone feels terrible that he got himself killed by accident. That said it's Tony Stewart a top 5 active nascar driver and future HOF if they have one. He's up there with Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson.
I think it does quite the opposite.
It appears Tony hit him before he ever gunned his engine. It also looked like Tony was trying to dodge the guy, which is why I think he gunned his engine. Fact of the matter is you run in traffic and get hit, that's your own fault. Not Tony Stewart. Now if Tony would have swerved to hit the guy, then yeah you are looking at manslaughter, but the only irresponsible I see in that video was the guy ran into Tony's lane of traffic.
You don't know how the law works if you think this will be a bigger charge or any charge for that matter. Tony didn't swerve to hit the guy. The guy ran into Tony's lane of traffic and he got hit. Watch the video in slow mo and you can see the guy is standing in front of Tony's car when he gets hit. Not when he guns the engine. It appeared Tony was actually trying to miss the guy.
Stewart bought himself a shitfest. A DA running for reelection is going to light his *** up on a manslaughter charge. Stewart will say he never saw the guy, but the "gunning the engine" thing is problematic. Whether he ends up with a criminal conviction or not, he's bought himself a major shitfest.
I posted that before I saw the video based on OP4's comment that Stewart gunned the engine before he hit him. After watching the video, I think Ward should get a Darwin Award. I do think Stewart needs to come up with a real good explanation of why he gunned the engine though.