NASCAR Star Tony Stewart Fatally Hits Driver During On-Track Confrontation

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart struck and killed another driver Saturday night while competing in a dirt track sprint car event at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York state.

A graphic video posted on YouTube showed Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup champion in NASCAR, hitting the driver, Kevin Ward Jr., 20, as Ward stood outside his race car on the track.

Ward and Stewart had bumped cars during an earlier lap, sending Ward's race car into an outside wall and prompting a caution flag. Ward then exited his car and approached on foot as Stewart's race car came around again. As Ward stood on the track and pointed at Stewart, Stewart's car fishtailed as it approached, the right tire hitting Ward and dragging him underneath.

Ward was thrown several feet behind Stewart. He was later declared dead at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua.

The death occurred about an hour away from the site of a Sprint Cup race Sunday at Watkins Glen, New York. Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for the Stewart-Haas Racing team, announced Sunday morning that Stewart would not race in the Sprint Cup event. He was to be replaced by Regan Smith.

"There aren't words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr.," Stewart said in a statement released by his race team. "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."

Stewart was reportedly cooperating with an investigation by the Ontario County Sheriff's Office, but was allowed to return to Watkins Glen, where he had been preparing to race Sunday. Zipadelli earlier told USA Today it would be "business as usual" at the track and that Stewart would compete.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fellow competitors of Kevin Ward Jr.," NASCAR said in a statement released before Sunday's race. "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."

Ward was from Lyons Falls, New York, about 140 miles northeast of Canandaigua. According to his website, he began racing go-carts at age 4.

"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," Ward's family said in a statement.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero said in a news briefing Sunday that the investigation was continuing, with the police seeking pictures and videos  from spectators and finishing a reconstruction of the crash.

"At this very moment, there are no facts at hand that would substantiate or support a criminal charge or indicate criminal intent on the part of any individual," he said.

Witnesses offered conflicting opinions about the wreck, some blaming Ward for approaching Stewart. Others blamed Stewart.

Although it seemed Ward had put himself at grave risk by walking onto the track while race cars were on it, that kind of action is not unheard-of in racing. Drivers will often try to confront other drivers directly on the track. In 2012, Stewart walked onto the track at Bristol Motor Speedway after a wreck with Matt Kenseth and threw his helmet at Kenseth's race car in disgust.

A witness to Saturday night's crash, sprint car driver Tyler Graves, told Sporting News that Stewart's action led to the fatality.

"I know Tony could see him," Graves said. "I know how you can see out of these cars. When Tony got close to him, he hit the throttle. When you hit a throttle on a sprint car, the car sets sideways. It set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two, and then it threw him about 50 yards."

Stewart has moonlighted racing in sprint cars, designed for short track races, for years. Last year, he suffered a broken leg while racing in a sprint car event and missed much of the second half of the NASCAR cup season. He returned this year to the series in February and was back racing in sprint cars again within the last month.

He recently posted on Twitter: "1yr ago today my life changed. Thank you to everyone that worked so hard to get me back to where I'm at today. It's your life, live it!"

This was not Stewart's first accident at Canandaigua. He was involved in a 15-car wreck at the track in July 2013, and two drivers were taken to the hospital. He later apologized for being too aggressive on the track and causing the crash.

Stewart has a long history of confrontations with drivers, news media and officials in NASCAR. He was once fined by his former race sponsor, Home Depot, and reportedly sought anger-management counseling after an altercation with a reporter early in his career.

Before Sunday's race, some NASCAR drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., took to Twitter to offer their condolences.

Earnhardt, whose father died during a crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, wrote: "We will all loose someone in our time. When a loss is sudden and unexpected, the pain & sadness is suffocating. Prayers for the Ward family."

There is no word on whether Stewart plans to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event next weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

© 2014 New York Times News Service