# Tony Stewart hits Driver at Dirt Track **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 10, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216 "2014-08-10T04:58:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/61 "2014-08-11T02:22:27Z")
It’s a dirt track race at night. Visibility sucks during daylight and Stewart was faced with an almost invisible person who is dodging cars in the middle of the track. There is no road adhesion on a dirt track. The entire race is done by drifting through corners. Unlike the car in front of Stewart who had some opportunity to see the guy, Stewart had a car in front of him. The guy literally comes out of nowhere. They should change the rules so that any more stunts like that come with a career dampening series of suspensions. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/62 "2014-08-11T02:49:25Z")
It’s probably impossible to know for sure what happened, but the thing is this: Stewart’s car does \*something \*as it passes Ward, and whatever that is, it’s something \*other \*than “swerving away from the man on the track.” If anything he seems to be going in the opposite direction. The video doesn’t condemn Stewart, but it sure doesn’t exonerate him, either. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/63 "2014-08-11T02:51:57Z")
It should be noted this was an Empire Super Sprint race, which doesn’t fall under the purview of NASCAR. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/64 "2014-08-11T03:49:12Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > It’s probably impossible to know for sure what happened, but the thing is this: Stewart’s car does \*something \*as it passes Ward, and whatever that is, it’s something \*other \*than “swerving away from the man on the track.” If anything he seems to be going in the opposite direction. > > The video doesn’t condemn Stewart, but it sure doesn’t exonerate him, either. That _something_ was the car reacting to the impact with Ward. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/65 "2014-08-11T03:50:55Z")
Apparently, the authorities say there is not enough evidence to support criminal charges and Stewart is off the hook. Seriously, what kind of idiot gets out of his car during a _race_ and then _walks towards the moving cars?_ The guy who got hit did something stupid. While I don’t think stupidity should carry a death sentence sometimes being stupid gets you killed. If Ward had even just stayed on the edge of the track he would not have been hit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/66 "2014-08-11T04:22:44Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > In my case, I’m biased from watching him race and seeing how he takes things personally. But there was _nothing_ for him to take personally. He probably didn’t even know he was involved in the yellow flag incident. The kid was on his outside, behind when he either clipped Stewart (or the other way around it you want) and hit the wall and spun. > [@VarlosZ](#): > > It’s probably impossible to know for sure what happened, but the thing is this: Stewart’s car does \*something \*as it passes Ward,… > [@Morgenstern](#): > > That _something_ was the car reacting to the impact with Ward. \*\* Exactly\*\*. Lets assume the Boy Wonder weighed 120 lbs. Lets also assume the asymmetrical wing on the right side is what caught him. That is gonna jerk the car to the right. To me, the video _clearly_ shows the car jerking to the right after impact. (Too dark to see actual impact) > [@Broomstick](#): > > Apparently, the authorities say there is not enough evidence to support criminal charges and Stewart is off the hook. Glad to hear it. By the way, I don’t watch NASCAR, not a fan of Stewart at all, and only know of him because he is featured in some Formula One stuff over the years. But he’s in the clear as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/67 "2014-08-11T04:41:18Z")
I saw a comment on one of the youtube videos that those Sprint Cars also have thicker tires on the rear right side of the car, though I am not sure if that is accurate information. Possibly that would have made it easier to clip the guy with the tire but I’ve only watched the video once and I didn’t catch all the little details. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/68 "2014-08-11T06:02:29Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I saw a comment on one of the youtube videos that those Sprint Cars also have thicker tires on the rear right side of the car, though I am not sure if that is accurate information. Possibly that would have made it easier to clip the guy with the tire but I’ve only watched the video once and I didn’t catch all the little details. You may be confusing two different things. Sprint cars have (or at least used to have) bigger tires (that is to say a larger radius) on the right than on the left. They spend more time turning left than they do going straight, so they’re optimized to make that turn. It’s like rolling a Solo cup along a table; it won’t go in a straight line. Also, I’m pretty sure that the rear tires are wider than the fronts, and stick out farther from the centerline of the car. If you drive past something such that it just misses your front wheel, it could still get clipped by the rear. The Sprint Cup cars that Stewart drives on Sundays, and the sedans they’re based on, aren’t like that. But Stewart has lots a seat time in a sprint car, so it doesn’t seem like he’d forget something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/69 "2014-08-11T12:02:22Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > From the descriptions, I thought the other guy was on the edge of the track. > > No, he’s _right in the middle of the fucking racing line_. If he stands in that particular spot for any length of time, someone is going to hit him, sorry, caution or not. > > Even at caution speeds, it is easy to vastly underestimate just how fast these vehicles can go. There was an infamous incident in the 70’s in F1 where a worker tried to rush across the track to tend to a nearby wreck while the green flag was still flying, and got hit by a car, utterly eviscerating him-and killing the driver when his head hit the fire extinguisher the worker was carrying. [Decided to not link to the (gruesome) video-search for “Tom Pryce death” if curious…] > > You. simply. don’t. do. something. that. idiotic. Full stop. Not only is he in the middle he is walking closer to the cars. It looks like the car in front of Stewart swerved to get out of the way of Ward. That car may have blocked Stewart’s view until the last moment. _If_ Stewart purposely caused the car to kick out to the right he only moved it a few inches. Ward put himself within a few inches of a race car driving on a dark track. It’s obvious to me who is most at fault. The foolishness of getting out of the car and macho posturing on the track has happened a few times. I hope this causes NASCAR to make it an automatic suspension. It’s stupid and dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/70 "2014-08-11T16:33:39Z")
> [@Monocracy](#): > > I can’t see how anyone can blame Stewart for this after watching the video. Ward should win a Darwin award. I feel sorry for the family, but I have to agree with this sentiment. Getting out our your race car _while the race is still going on_ is pretty much a Darwin Award level of dumb. If he wanted to get up in Tony Stewart’s face about the crash, the time to do that is not while Steward is speeding towards him in a car. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/71 "2014-08-11T17:45:30Z")
So, I’ve watched the video a few more times and come to a slightly different conclusion than the first few times I watched it. Judging from his body language, Ward was absolutely enraged after he got out of his car. And he only had eyes for Tony. I don’t think he even noticed the other cars that were whizzing past him. When I said he was jumping around the track erratically, he was actually positioning himself to be where Stewart’s car was going to be when it came around the corner. I’m not sure if anyone said it in this thread, but in the YouTube comments, a lot of posters were saying that Tony never should have come that close to Ward. But he didn’t have a choice! Ward was the one who put himself near Tony. It’s a lot quicker to move laterally across a track on foot than to shift a moving car to a different “lane”. For a little while I was convinced that Ward tried to jump on Stewart’s car and grab the foil up top. If you watch the video frame by frame, it almost looks that way, but it’s too blurry to come to any definite conclusion. Later, I dismissed that idea, not only because of the sheer insanity of it, but I don’t think Stewart’s back-end would have kicked that much to the left from a body jumping onto it. Something that could have happened (but is not supported by any visual evidence) is that Ward could have made an aggressive move towards the car that Tony wasn’t expecting, thus putting himself in the path to be sideswiped. Unfortunately, the camera pans away and then back again right before Tony’s car comes around, so the images are too blurry to see the moves that Ward is making. I wish there was more footage of the accident. Even a slightly different angle could show more of what happened. I’ve never been to a race (in recent times), but I would think there would be a lot more people taking video of the event, especially after a crash. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/72 "2014-08-11T20:28:30Z")
On Youtube a number of videos were taken down. And some posters have said there was a camera on Tony’s car. So more videos might show up. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/73 "2014-08-11T20:33:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The foolishness of getting out of the car and macho posturing on the track has happened a few times. I hope this causes NASCAR to make it an automatic suspension. It’s stupid and dangerous. Which is kind of celebrated in NASCAR, like fights in hockey. Reminds me of an old MAD movie parody where the Texan takes a visitor to “Old Wild West Days” and they watch a shootout. Texan: “Dang tourists love this, cuz they think we use real bullets!” Visitor: “So why do you like it?” Texan: “Cuz I KNOW we use real bullets!” ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/74 "2014-08-11T20:44:21Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Which is kind of celebrated in NASCAR, like fights in hockey. Oversimplified. Sure, stuff like this happens in NASCAR, and NASCAR officials do little about it, pretty much because it happens with the driver on the apron or surrounded by safetey crew and equipment. It almost never happens in the middle of the track with the driver running into the path of oncoming cars. Even “caution speeds” are freeway speeds in many cases. If by “celebrated” you mean that its viewed as an asinine thing for the driver to do whether or not he has a legitimate beef, then yes, it’s “celebrated.” When drivers are given the leeway to “settle it themselves,” the settlement is meant to be sought off the track, not on track with with their own lives and equipment being put at risk along with the lives and equipment of dozens of others. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/75 "2014-08-11T20:51:37Z")
Which is why I said “kind of.” I don’t dismiss NASCAR as redneck yahoo-ism, but there’s still a hillbilly macho sensibility that leads to BS that would get drivers and whole teams banned in other jurisdictions, and they’re preserved because the fan base admires them. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/76 "2014-08-11T21:09:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Apparently, the authorities say there is not enough evidence to support criminal charges and Stewart is off the hook. The sheriff (who doesn’t make the charging decisions) just said that it wasn’t a criminal investigation right now. The District Attorney (who DOES make the charging decisions) might well decide otherwise (although the sheriff said he was in contact with the DA). ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/77 "2014-08-11T21:13:55Z")
If anyone is interested in Kevin Ward here is his website (not yet updated with his death): > **[Fevers Blog](https://feversblog.com/)** > > Reading, Books, Novel Info And PDF Related ---
**Author:** ![from\_a\_to\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5fc32e/32.png) [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/78 "2014-08-11T21:33:30Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Hopefully, there will be some rules made regarding leaving your car and walking on the track during a race. It seems like such an obvious thing that a rule wouldn’t be necessary, but we’ve seen otherwise. > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > …There was an infamous incident in the 70’s in F1 where a worker tried to rush across the track to tend to a nearby wreck while the green flag was still flying, and got hit by a car, utterly eviscerating him-and killing the driver when his head hit the fire extinguisher the worker was carrying… > [@PastTense](#): > > On Youtube a number of videos were taken down. And some posters have said there was a camera on Tony’s car. So more videos might show up. When I learned about this tragedy (here on The Straight Dope) I was reminded of a similar event of 101 years ago – June 4, 1913 – when “suffragette” Emily Davison walked out onto a horse-racing track at the Epsom Derby near Surrey, England. She was 40, not 20, evidently trying to promote women’s suffrage, and died from her injuries 4 days later. More about her [here (including 6:56 video)](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kevin-maguire-tribute-emily-davison-1917009), [here (2:29 video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVPTXmesMpo), [here](http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--Suffragette-Trampled-by-King-s-Horse.html), and here. However, for whatever reason, YouTube asks interested spectators to “Sign in to confirm your age” for the Stewart-Ward videos, but leaves the similarly-unsettling Davison videos freely available to view. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/79 "2014-08-11T22:35:34Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Hothead #1 confronts hothead #2. Hothead #2 guns his engine to show up #1, and when he does, the car slips to the right. > > I think Stewart’s action is responsible for the death. I’ve seen plenty of races where a driver gets out on the track to confront the other driver, sometimes throwing his helmet at the other car. Absolutely it’s dangerous and foolish, but this is not the first time it’s happened. In a Nascar race, drivers like Stewart drive at 200 mph with only inches between him and the other car. They have lightning reflexes and he could have easily avoided this situation. > > Heck, here’s a clip of Stewart himself on the track [throwing his helmet Matt Kenseth](http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2012-08-25/tony-stewart-throws-helmet-at-matt-kenseth-bristol-nascar) as he drives through pit row after they got into a wreck. > > Stewart has a long history of being a confrontational hot head. It’s not too surprising to see him involved in this. He named his helmet Matt Kenseth? The fact that he has lightning reflexes brings up a point. Lightning reflexes doesn’t give you time to decide what to do. It’s all about quickly doing what you have been trained to do. The only way he would have not avoided the situation is if his first instinct is to ignore all the safety training and practice he’s had and choose to do something very dangerous. I know he has a reputation for being a hothead but does he generally make dangerous maneuvers on the track when angry? Did he even have enough time to get that angry? Did he have time to be certain who was on the track, decide he was mad at him then decide to try and be aggressive towards him? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216/80 "2014-08-13T00:52:06Z")
I’ve seen a couple of news reports where they’re saying that it’s unlikely Stewart could see Ward. Sprint car drivers report that the cars have huge blind spots. The cars are also built to turn left, not right (bigger tires on the right side, for example). I suspect that Tony didn’t see him at all, or if he did, it was too late for him to react, much less figure out how to avoid the accident. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-stewart-hits-driver-at-dirt-track/695216.md?page=5)