NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Tony Stewart hit and killed a driver during a sprint car race at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park, a half-mile dirt track in upstate New York, following an on-track encounter that ended in tragedy.
During the race Saturday night Stewart and the driver, who was later identified as Kevin Ward Jr. made contact on lap 14 of the 25 lap race causing Ward to spin out. Ward was apparently upset and got out of his car, waving his arms at Stewart during the following caution and walked onto the track and the oncoming cars. As Stewart drove by, Ward was hit. It was later confirmed by Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero that the driver who was hit (Kevin Ward Jr.) was taken to Thompson Health where he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital by the coroner. An autopsy has been ordered. Sheriff Povero would not release the name of the driver at that time per the request of the parents until all family members had been notified. His name was officially released Sunday morning.
Povero also noted that Stewart has been cooperative and was “visibly shaken by this incident and has promised his continuing cooperation.” The investigation is being classified as an “on-track crash investigation” and no criminal charges have been filed at this time.
Danny Dietrich, 2013 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the year and a second generation sprint car driver, shared his perspective on twitter. “A racing accident happened tonight,” he wrote. “Frustrations were expressed in the wrong way & something horrible happened to 2 drivers. Ward should have stayed near the car. For anyone who doesn’t know Tony, he does great things for us “kids.” No driver hits another driver on purpose.”
Dietrich continued, “I can say when under caution & you spot debris at the last second, it takes an “effort” to miss it. For the racing world, think before typing.”
Stewart-Haas Racing released the following statement early Sunday morning.
“A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating. Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We’re still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.”
Although it was originally announced that Stewart would participate in Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen, SHR vice president of competition, Greg Zipadelli, announced at a press conference shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday that Stewart would not compete in the Sprint Cup Series race and that Regan Smith would substitute as the driver in the No. 14.
“It’s just an unbelievable tragedy,” Zipadelli said. “Our hearts go out to, obviously, Kevin and his family, thoughts and prayers. This is a very tough, very emotional time for everybody, his family, our family at Stewart-Haas, Tony Stewart, so, with that being said; we feel that as a group Tony will not drive today, Regan Smith is on his way up. NASCAR has approved for him to get in the race car today. They’re going to do everything they can to help us expedite getting his seat and him comfortable. So that’s kind of what we have been working on this morning and trying to get executed, is get Regan here, and obviously anything we can do for Tony and everybody else is just, like I said, it’s an emotional time right now.”
NASCAR issued the following press release regarding the incident and Stewart’s decision.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fellow competitors of Kevin Ward Jr. We support Tony Stewart’s decision to miss today’s race and we will continue to respect the process and timeline of the local authorities and will continue to monitor this situation moving forward.”
Stewart released a brief statement Sunday afternoon saying, “There aren’t words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr. It’s a very emotional time for all involved, and it is the reason I’ve decided not to participate in today’s race at Watkins Glen. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy.”
Ward’s family also issued a statement Sunday which stated, “We appreciate the prayers and support we are receiving from the community, but we need time to grieve and wrap our heads around all of this.”
