Author Topic: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race  (Read 30579 times)

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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #15 on: August 10, 2014, 02:14:07 PM »

Offline Eric M VAN

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This is what gets me about this horrible story.

The first of Today's utterly ridiculous headline on Sports Center this AM

"Car Driven by Tony Stewart strikes and kills driver".

I love NASCAR apologists and how Sports center has spun this. If you read THAT headline, you might be tempted to believe that some Car went crazy and ran over some dude and Tony Stewart had little or nothing to do with it, when he basically ran the guy over. Accident? I'm thinking no?

It's The legal spin Drs. pushing Stewart as far away from the actual incident as possible/.......and the other thing?

Tony Stewart's picture is all over the news like he's suffered some grave injustice. If I were the parents of this 20 year old kid, I'd be p---ed that this guy not only distances himself from the actual event, and get's his picture bandied about like he's a victim of some kind, while my kid get's ignored.

Screw Sports Center and screw Tony Stewarts media team. Shame shame
shame on them all and shame on ESPN being in bed with the people they report on. These people were trying to sew this whole thing up with no fault being in Stewart at all.

Here's another headline "Tragedy on the Track — Tony Stewart’s Sprint Car Strikes, Kills Driver Walking on Track"..... Seriously? This must be like that Christine car just randomly starting up and running people over.

I agree the kid should never have gotten out of his car but at least some other cars managed to slow down and avoid him and only Stewart managed to hit and kill him. JUST STOP DRIVING!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that so difficult?
« Last Edit: August 10, 2014, 02:34:32 PM by Eric M VAN »
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2014, 02:14:47 PM »

Offline Rakulp

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After seeing the video, there is no doubt that the boy would have been alive if he hadn't done a stupid thing.

Unfortunately humans do stupid things.

It also appears that if Stewart hadn't done a stupid thing, rev his engine which caused the rear end of his car to move up to hit the young driver, then we wouldn't be talking about this today.  I'm sure his intent was either to get away from the angry driver or to possibly scare him...the result is all that matters at this point.

Two people did two stupid things...one will live to see the results of his stupidity, the other didn't. 

Sad story all around.

Rak

Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2014, 02:18:41 PM »

Offline wdleehi

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Did he rev the engine to hit the guy or as a last attempt to push the car down the track to avoid him?  No one else was slowing down.  The kid walked right at that car in a turn on a dirt track where those cars were clearly showing signs of sliding around.



I have no clue what Stewart saw and could have done, but the guy has been in race car driving way to long to do something as stupid as to purposely run someone over.

Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #18 on: August 10, 2014, 02:22:13 PM »

Offline SparzWizard

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No offense to some of you guys, but Kevin Ward was an idiot for getting out of his car raging. And especially running in the middle of a racetrack. One should know better not to get out of his car in the middle of that setting.

After watching the video a few times, I don't really blame Stewart at all. In my eyes he did not have the intent to kill anyone. Buuuut he will face heavy consequences anyway for the accident. Sigh :(


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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #19 on: August 10, 2014, 03:12:20 PM »

Offline mgent

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I don't know anything about racing, so my opinion comes with a huge grain of salt.

But you've got to think the onus is on the really angry guy walking right next to cars traveling upwards of 80 MPH rather than the guy who had little to no time to react to him. Regardless, this is gonna mess up Stewart's life forever.
If cars were traveling at him at 80 mph then they were still flooring it.  I'm sure he figured by the time he undid all his straps and got out that Tony would be driving towards him at 30 mph or whatever the caution speed is.

Watching the video, that was an absolutely disgusting block by Tony, even for a dirt track.  It's pretty pathetic the way Stewart needs to force non-famous little kids to brake for him just so he can stay relevant.  If Tony raced him side by side like a man, and taken another half tenth of a second to clear him, none of this would have happened.

Not sure if people understand what a huge deal blocking is in a race (not to mention unsafe).  Basically, every time it happens there's a fight or brawl.  Just this year we've had Keselowski playing demolition derby and destroying thousands of dollars after the race, and we've had Ambrose give Mears a world-class hay-maker to the face (along with immediate bruising).

That's just how it is.  This kid's anger was completely instinctual.  It's the driver's responsibility (if he ever wants to be considered good) to stand up for himself and show how not okay he is with it (and NASCAR usually doesn't punish them when it's clear they're right to be upset).  That's what Joey Logano had to do with Tony Stewart when he was 20, which I'm sure fans remember (and look where he is now).  I'm sure fans also remember Tony running onto the track and throwing his helmet at Kenseth not too long ago.

Even hot chicks run onto the track when they get disrespected.




The point/middle finger is simply standard when it happens.  The driver who made the block obviously knows he did it and he knows the finger is coming the entire way back around the track.  This is just the first time the driver used throttle in retaliation.

Tony has been the dirtiest and biggest (pun intended) blocker in Sprint Cup for a longggg time.  He gets away with it just because he's Tony Stewart, and a decade ago he won some races.  If that 20 year old did the same type of thing, he'd probably be banned from the series and have trouble ever finding a team or sponsor again.

There's a reason Tony has been my least favorite driver since I started watching the sport, and this just further proves he shouldn't be out there sucking it up in one of the highest funded cars, and should sit on the side with the other owners.  He's simply a complete pr1ck who blames his car and crew, when the 14 really just needs a driver mod.

Start playing by the rules, Tony.
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #20 on: August 10, 2014, 03:22:25 PM »

Offline Celtics4ever

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I don't watch racing  and would rather watch paint dry.   May Kevin Ward RIP.  His action was akin to running out in a freeway X2, not smart.

Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2014, 03:29:21 PM »

Offline mgent

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Here's what Tony had to say last time he got blocked.

Quote
“The dumb little (expletive) runs us clear down to the infield. He wants to (expletive) about everyone else and he’s the one that drives like a little (expletive). I’m gonna bust his (expletive).”

It was probably the mildest of all blocks by Logano, who obviously owes Tony a lot of payback (and who, yeah Tony, obviously had a right to be (expletive)ing about your driving).

This was his reaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REnIe8q3E4I


Of course, when Tony gets wrecked, it's not like he ever had a shot at winning.  When he fails his block and does the wrecking, stuff like this happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5N_ZfXAo9s
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #22 on: August 10, 2014, 03:32:29 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

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If Stewart intentionally hit Ward or recklessly tried to get close enough or go faster to scare him, then Stewart is 100% at fault even though Ward was being an idiot by getting out of a car.  Anyone who says that Stewart shouldn't be blamed as much because Ward was stupid is just as wrong as a person who tries to diminish a rapist's culpability by suggesting that the victim helped cause the attack by dressing/acting too provocatively.
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #23 on: August 10, 2014, 03:35:41 PM »

Offline azzenfrost

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Not a good comparison. Maybe something like confronting a guy with a gun.
I moved the cheese.

Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #24 on: August 10, 2014, 03:46:22 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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If Stewart intentionally hit Ward or recklessly tried to get close enough or go faster to scare him, then Stewart is 100% at fault even though Ward was being an idiot by getting out of a car.  Anyone who says that Stewart shouldn't be blamed as much because Ward was stupid is just as wrong as a person who tries to diminish a rapist's culpability by suggesting that the victim helped cause the attack by dressing/acting too provocatively.

I agree with your post..TP..but I have been savaged for posting a similar opinion on other forums .....

I try not to take a side either way.......my take from watching the video is Stewart appears liable for some of the blame.   It's just not all Wards fault .


Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #25 on: August 10, 2014, 04:17:51 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

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Not a good comparison. Maybe something like confronting a guy with a gun.

Stupidly confronting a guy with a gun won't make him less of a murderer if he shoots you.*

*Does not apply to Florida, apparently
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #26 on: August 10, 2014, 04:29:10 PM »

Offline staticcc

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I have raced on a similar dirt track before. Ward was stupid as hell to be doing that but Tony saw him FOR SURE and had time to react. He did not hit him intentionally BUT he did try to scare Ward and intentionally came close. I've seen drivers do that move a lot but this is the first time someone got hit.
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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #27 on: August 10, 2014, 04:49:49 PM »

Offline RIPRED

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   Seems like a serious issue. The cars weren't going too fast and there was nobody directly in front of Stewart, so I don't know how far he'd get claiming that he didn't see the guy or was going too fast to avoid him. From the article/video is seems like he was attempting to gun it right when he was passing (right next to) the guy and things went horribly awry. I'm curious about what any of the lawyers on the blog would think. I would think manslaughter charges might be reasonable.

Does anyone have a link to different videos? I saw the one from deadspin this morning, and it looked to me there actually was a car directly in front of Stewart.

Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #28 on: August 10, 2014, 05:00:20 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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I have raced on a similar dirt track before. Ward was stupid as hell to be doing that but Tony saw him FOR SURE and had time to react.

I haven't driven on dirt tracks, but just from my driving experience in general, isn't it premature to make that conclusion?  I would think that you'd need to have a better idea of the lighting conditions, what his windshield looked like in terms of visibility, his field of vision related to the vehicle in front of him, whether or not the driver's safety suit blended into his car from the angle Stewart was driving, where Stewart's attention was (i.e., was he focused on the wrecked car and the vehicles in front of him, rather than seeing the driver), etc., etc.

Maybe he saw him at the last second, and gunned his engine to try to rapidly change directions.  I don't know enough about racing, but I've read a number of people say that this is what is probable.

I don't think criminal charges will come from this, because it's impossible to tell what Stewart saw, or what his intent was.


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Re: Kevin Ward Jr hit and killed by Tony Stewart's car during race
« Reply #29 on: August 10, 2014, 05:20:48 PM »

Offline Fan from VT

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Seems more like running onto a firing range the running at a guy shooting a gun at a target.

I dont know what stewart saw. But realistically there was a crash, then stewart focusing on tight turns and many other cars. By the time hw whips around the turn again and sees the crash he has probably 1 second to see and digest something totally unexpectef: a person on the track. And not crossing the track either, but acting unpredictably. Fortunately ive only had to dodge squirrels, but im not that good at it; its impossible to know if you should hold course and theyll be moving or you need to veer, and if so, which way. So you have 1 second to think and react. Do you veer? If you veer, it means you are NOT expecting a person to get out of the way of the car, and you have a good chance of veering righth where they dodge. If you dont veer and just hold course, good chance a person will try to get out of the way, youd think.