[NASCAR] Tony Stewart apparently runs over opposing driver

Stewart is definitely a top 5 NASCAR hothead. He has mellowed a bit in recent years so not sure if he is the worst. Kevin Harvick and the Busch brothers are right up there with him.

 

This isn't the drivers POV at all , it's a gopro or something on the front of the car ... not even from in the cockpit or what it would look like through a helmet inside the car .

Look at the sprint car in this link http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2013/02/13/065979-kraig-kinser-ready-for-2013-season.1-lg.jpg

It looks like it would be a b**** to see anything out of this car and especially the right side . Also factor in the human element of perspiration or glancing down to check water temp or something .

I also don't see any reason for Stewart to loose his temper and run down the guy on purpose ,his car wasn't the one wrecked . I would be interested in knowing if these two had any prior altercations but I just don't see any motivation for Stewart here.

 

Also t. Stewart should be fasting until we can all wrap our minds around & process this tragedy. I know I couldn't eat for a WEEK if I took a human life. whether his fault or otherwise, & whether he feels like he might be able to eat a little something or not, cooler heads should prevail here.

 

Let's be clear, the guy who jumped out of his car and got on the track made a really dumb decision. But guess what? He won't get to avoid the consequences of his action. No one will ever get to argue about what his "punishment" should be. He died.

So, now that we've established that, this guy hit the nail on the head. Regardless of the dumb decision that dude made by someone else, Tony Stewart ALSO made decisions. Now he should face the consequences of them.

Two people made poor choices that resulted in a fatal accident. One person got dealt the most severe punishment for his decision that can be given.

 

We don't know for certain what decisions Tony Stewart made. The guy directly in front of him didn't even see the guy until the last minute.

 

Well, we know he rapidly accelerated (during a caution flag, which I assume forbids such behavior) at the exact moment that:

1) Ward would have been out of his line of sight

2) It would have caused his car to skid toward the direction of Ward

Make of that what you will.

 

Is there more than one video out there? I've only seen the one where you cannot definitively tell if that happened.

 

The one video, that I assume you're referencing, clearly shows Stewart hit the throttle aggressively the moment he begins to pull near Ward (who is to his right). Given the line of sight from a the right side of a Sprint Car, the idea that Stewart saw him "at the last moment" is questionable at best since "the last moment" would be pretty much the least likely time to notice someone standing to the right of your vehicle. It's too convenient, IMO, especially considering Stewart caused the accident (i.e. he was aware of the caution flag as well as the location of the wreck).

 

I guess we're watching two different videos then. The one I've seen doesn't show anything clearly. You barely see Stewarts car before it hits Ward.

 

Not sure how you're missing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR5hMcdMLCk#t=35

Stewart's car clearly accelerates (engine roars, the wheels spin faster, and his car drifts to the right) as he approaches Ward.

 

Yup, that's the video. Not sure how you can pinpoint that being Stewart's engine from a video taken from the stands of something happening way across the track or somehow tell in a split-second that the wheels spin faster. As far as the drift to the right, that doesn't happen until he makes impact with the body.

The driver directly in front of Stewart said he didn't see the guy (dressed in all black at night) and nearly hit him as well. They have very limited views in these cars, so Stewart probably had no idea the guy was even on the track. There is a NASCAR writer for a prominent news organization that posts on another message board I frequent. I'm inclined to believe him when he says it is impossible to tell what Stewart was doing from this video.

If everything was so clear-cut as you state, charges would've already been filed.

 

I don't believe so. Despite this being the sequence of events, an investigation will take some time, and rightly so. The statute on this is 2 years, IIRC, so, there's not really a rush either.

 

Caution forbids passing, and a pace car is used to slow cars. In racing, there usually aren't speed limits during a caution.

 

Those would be my 4, with the Rocket at #5. 4 of 5 in SHR past and present...coincidence?

 

As he approaches ward? Sounds more like at the same time he hits him

 

Basically yes, the split second before the collision. Ward was probably no more than 5-6 feet from the vehicle at that time, possibly closer.

 

I can't tell where he was

 

I can't tell exactly either (the investigation will no doubt dissect that video and eye-witness accounts), but it's obvious that he was very close. Stewart's car does rapidly accelerate prior to the impact, and then abruptly slow its rate of acceleration upon impact (which makes sense), that much is clear. At least to me.

 

Or hit his breaks?

 

It seems like he accelerates as he his him, not before