Grumpy
Well-Known Member
Were you involved in the Salem Witch trials in another life?
Tony Stewart runs over another racer...
- Thread starter DipStick
- Start date
Were you involved in the Salem Witch trials in another life?
The sheriff with jurisdiction over the accident has declared unequivocally that no charges will be brought. Unless something else is brought forth that changes anything, it looks like this tragic incident will quickly recede in to history as far as the sport goes.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Not in this crass, over commercial, TARP, ACA poor sense of humor youtube age. Why, in no time, some freaking #######s that sell vitamins or fresh vegetables or some #### will be running commercials... "Not feeling your best? Tired, run down..."
Tilted
..
Horrible. Just horrible. But such is life sometimes, it's so full of things going on that sometimes these kinds of tragic things happen. As a class they can't be prevented, I doubt as a class they can be much mitigated given the size of the world's population and the nature of modern life. But they're horrible nonetheless. Hopefully we take such things as what they, first and foremost, should be - reminders of how fragile life is and a prod to all of the rest of us to cherish and live life while we still have it.
I don't know that I'd want to see a blanket rule that you stay in your vehicle until a crash team gets there. For various reasons staying in the wrecked vehicle longer than you have to may itself be dangerous. But they shouldn't be getting out of their vehicles and running into the line of fire. It seems to me that's the primary mistake that was made in this situation. That's the controllable action that should be pointed at and focused on in hopes that, in the future and in similar situations, different courses of action are chosen. That young man is dead today, likely and most proximally, because he let his anger in the moment get the better of him and he emulated the aggrieved racers that he sees on TV - he ran back toward the middle of the track to challenge the driver that supposedly done him wrong to (1) make the point that they had done him wrong and (2) demonstrate that he was man enough to stand up for himself. That's just not a prudent reaction, it's dangerous - especially on a dirt track and under less controlled circumstances than we see in, e.g., NASCAR Sprint Cup races. If you do get out of the vehicle, you head for a safer spot not a more perilous one.
Here's what NASCAR should do in response to this - and I do think NASCAR bears a small amount of blame for this (it doesn't bear most of the blame though, at the end of the day people are responsible for their own actions). It should come out and say, we are the top of the heap when it comes to motorsports racing. We set the examples. Little leaguers catch fly balls with one hand because they watch their MLB idols catch fly balls with one hand. Weekend golfers mark 3 foot putts and wait to putt out because they watch tour pros mark 3 foot putts and wait to putt out. Angry racers run back onto the track to challenge other drivers that they think wrecked them because they've been watching our drivers - the best drivers in the world - do the same thing. We take responsibility for that, we've tolerated unsafe behavior and bad examples for too long. We will no more. My message today for our NASCAR drivers is this: Starting as of right now, it doesn't happen anymore. If you have a beef with another driver you can take it up with them on pit row after the race or in drivers meetings. You will not run out onto the track and challenge other drivers that are still on the track. If you get out of your car, you head for pit row or one of the safety vehicles that comes around to pick you up or, at least, away from any danger We're serious about this, so much so that the penalty for ignoring this new policy will be severe. Five races - the next time one of our drivers does this he's going to be suspended for five races. No negotiation, no justification - five races. Consider this your warning drivers. It stops now. A second violation is a year's suspension. No ifs, ands or buts.
Now, NASCAR might want to do or say some other things. But the above is more or less what it needs to be saying in an afternoon press conference today. It would address the nexus between NASCAR's policies and what it has allowed and what happened in the sprint car race Saturday night. It was a terribly unfortunate chain of events, but the primary mistake - what should be addressed, to the extent something should, in the wake of it - was the common driver practice of challenging moving vehicles on foot immediately following a racing tussle. That's why Mr. Ward is dead, at least I don't see in the video clear indication of something else so wrong that it warrants the same kind of blame as his own actions do.
Caution means slow down, not stop - and how long does it take for all the drivers to do that under those kinds of circumstances (again, this wasn't a Sprint Cup Series raise with all of its technology and controls)? And those cars on a dirt track? I mean, the young man basically jumped out in front of Tony. Was Mr. Stewart acting irresponsibly himself? Was he being a jerk - not backing down, trying to get close to Mr. Ward? Perhaps, but I can't be sure of that from the video. I can be sure enough of what Mr. Ward did though. At this point I feel sorry for Mr. Stewart more so than feel indignation directed at him. He'll have to live with this for the rest of his life - both however it affects him internally and however he's affected by public perception. Sure he's a hot head, but he's also one of the best drivers we've ever seen and if I was going to be reckless and run at a moving sprint car on a dirt track I'd want him to be the one driving it. His emotional nature aside, if something went wrong I figure he'd have a better chance than anyone of controlling that vehicle well enough to avoid catastrophe. In this case it went bad, terribly bad; but I don't see that as primarily Mr. Stewart's fault. Anger, in that moment, got the better of Mr. Ward - that's the cause of death here.
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Larry Gude
Strung Out
Hey, I'm open to wording suggestions; "To all drivers; post crash, no matter how pissed you are, try to not go wading into traffic to wave your fist at other drivers who you may feel, rightly or wrongly, all feelings are valid, caused your wreck. You can yell at them and make rude comments about their moms IF you keep a reasonable distance. You can even throw your $800 helmet at them. For all drivers over the age of 25, please feel free to ignore what may sound like the obvious. You already made it past the age of playing in traffic. And, for you younger guys, also try to avoid waving BB guns around inside the store when the cops, who may well look like Tony Stewart, start waving their more potent guns around. Results may vary. All rights, blah, blah, blah..."
Larry Gude
Strung Out
I think that is the proper view of this.
DEEKAYPEE8569
Well-Known Member
Nobody has mentioned that the actual visibility for the drivers is darker than seen on TV. The cameras aren't night vision cameras, but they do gather ambient light to enhance low visibility situations, in this case for live TV broadcast. That taken into account, Ward, wearing a black firesuit may have been difficult to see from inside the car. His not immediately getting off the track where cars were moving; at or below caution speed was a bad move. If he intended to, say, throw his helmet at Stewart, he should have, at the very least, stood outside of his own car. As others have mentioned, drivers are or at least should be, paying attention to where the other cars are. They are not looking for, nor expecting to see someone walking on the track where there is moving traffic. So, an argument can be made that Tony was paying attention to the cars and not looking out for or seeking out Ward to run him over.
Has any team rep, or Tony himself made any recent statement telling his side?
Has any team rep, or Tony himself made any recent statement telling his side?
Tilted
..
They've made statements about the situation and, e.g., expressed their sorrow. But he can't come out and tell his side of the story yet, as much as he may want to (though perhaps he doesn't). For instance, he can't start defending himself if that's what he'd be doing, before Mr. Ward is even buried.
Let's say his story is something like this: I had just gotten the signal that there was a caution and I was coming around and saw a wrecked car, I didn't really know what was happening - I hadn't had time to sort it out yet. I saw a guy in the middle of the track coming at me, but it was dark and hard make out what was going on. I tried to avoid him but wasn't able to. Maybe that's more or less his story, maybe it isn't. But if it's something like that, the subtext is - it's Mr. Ward's fault not mine, things were happening fast and there wasn't anything I could do to avoid it. It's tragic but he shouldn't have been there.
If that's the case, if that's how Mr. Stewart sees it, he just has to bite his tongue for now. He'd come across as a heel if he got out there telling his side right now. At some point, if he wants to, he'll get to tell the public how he sees the situation. But right now he has to endure the criticism and speculation that's out there, and do so silently for the most part - other than to express his sorrow and how badly he feels about the situation. For right now Tony Stewart can't be Tony Stewart, he has to be the guy that doesn't just say whatever he's thinking, or else he'll forever be viewed by a lot of people (to include non-racing fans that had barely heard of him before) as that arrogant, heartless ####### that ran over and killed that poor young man. And I think Tony's smart enough to realize that. If he isn't, some of those around him surely are.
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DEEKAYPEE8569
Well-Known Member
Well, yeah.....I suppose the time for any kind of statement from Stewart himself should be made after a full investigation is conducted and/or accusations are doled out.
SoMDGirl42
Well-Known Member
After reviewing the video many, many times with the audio, it sounds to me like he sped up just as he was passing the guy and looked like he was trying to slide his tail right to bump the guy. I'd say this was no accident, but I don't think he meant to kill the kid. I was appalled he didn't stop when he KNEW he ran over the guy and dragged him several yards.
Let us no forget, Tony Stewart is a professional race car driver that can run over 200 mph and stay mear inches from the drivers in front, beside and behind him. No way this was totally and accident IMO. He tried to nudge the guy and ran him over killing him. I won't say he's a murderer, but he killed the guy. The driver is to blame for getting outta his car, but he can't be punished, because he's dead.
Flame away Larry. Just remember, if this ever went to trial, the jury wouldn't be a bunch of professional race car drivers, they would be regular joes and janes like me.
MMDad
Lem Putt
The sheriff just said that there will be no charges at this time. It would be stupid to say that no charges will be brought at all when they have not had time to thoroughly investigate.
MMDad
Lem Putt
A lot of people have said that they can hear him rev his engine. How can you isolate the sound of multiple cars on the track and pick one out? Are you sure you are hearing his engine rev? Or could it be another car?
SoMDGirl42
Well-Known Member
I say that because when I hear the sound, his car appears to accelerate to me. :shrug: It's just my opinion.
MMM_donuts
New Member
My stepdad seems to think the rev noise is from a nearby car and not necessarily from Tony Stewart's car.
Let's be real, this is too controversial to say definitively that Tony Stewart ran that kid over on purpose. He'll never see any jailtime.
If it had been nearly anyone else, people would be a lot more forgiving but Tony Stewart is known for his lack of emotional rationality on the track. I think it's entirely possible that he may have tried to get close to the kid, just to be the ahole that he normally is, and screwed up. But it's also possible that he didn't see a dark dressed individual on a dimly lit track and didn't have a spotter to warn him. I certainly don't think he intentionally killed Ward. If he had it in him to lose control and blatantly run someone over just for a track argument then he would've picked a different person than some 20 year old kid on a dirt track the night before a race with HUGE career implications. He's a hot head but he isn't stupid - and that's why his fans love him.
I also know that getting out of your car to confront another driver is not a new or even unusual thing. Even Tony Stewart has done it. But the tracks really do preach safety and the drivers know that it's dangerous to do such a thing.
I don't really think we'll see many things come out of this. This wasn't a NASCAR event so I doubt they'll be too involved. Maybe a change or two about confronting other drivers but you can't require drivers to remain in their cars. That's dangerous, too. I don't think Tony Stewart will see any legal or professional punishment. I don't think he'll quit driving and I don't think he'll lose too many of his sponsors. I do think NASCAR's popularity will increase slightly for the rest of the season and maybe next season simply becuase something like this draws fans (like me) that are now bored with the sport back in to see the implications of this sort of accident and others that will want to see how Tony Stewart and Tony Stewart fans respond emotionally.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
If it was the #3 car, two things; NO ONE would ever get NEAR him because they know he'd have run him dead the #### over and, 2, had anyone been that stupid, everyone would have said "that's just racin'"
MMM_donuts
New Member
If it were Jimmy Johnson then he'd be flooded with sympathy and well wishes for having experienced something so traumatic.
If it had been any other driver on THAT dirt track, we'd have never of heard about any of this.
If that kid had hit Stewart, he would've had to hang himself prior to the news breaking because he would be vilified by NASCAR fans.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
What I said.
Just sitting back and observing the discussion here and in the media, I find it odd how the calm and firm announcement about no charges from the local sheriff's compares with the declarations of intent and guilt from the torch and pitchforks crowd. What do you suppose that sheriff's department "so completely missed" when they conducted their investigation(s)? Why don't they "know" about the incident what so many others obviously do? Incompetence?....bought off?....Stewart fans?
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GWguy
*
Maybe, maybe not.....
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/justice/tony-stewart-hits-driver/index.html?hpt=hp_t2