Go read the article at the link. It's been updated since it was excerpted for this post.
Toxicology tests showed found Ward to under the influence -- enough to impair his judgment.
Drugs are what it might take for Ward to have stepped out of his car, IMO. As for it being a regular occurrence or even a 20-30-40% occurrence..like steroids in baseball. I would have to doubt it. Look, I have nothing to go on other than my sense, and I am not even a fan and never watch these races, but I believe the NASCAR thing is borderline religion to these folks, they want with all they’ve got to keep it clean, and they get all the rush they can handle driving the cars. If you told me that a few tire-changers smoked a joint now and again, OK.
I was told, do not know for a fact, that the jug of cool water that was in the car driven by Tiny Lund, usually had bourbon in it, as an enhancer.
Toxicology tests showed found Ward to under the influence — enough to impair his judgment.
...
Wow. Ward also caused the initial accident by being in Stewart’s blind spot coming out of a turn, and then getting out of his car and approaching other cars was beyond stupid. Comments from Ward’s family indicates they may be hot heads, too. They should apologize to Stewart.
Could explain two things:
1) Why he thought Stewart wrecked him - that was not the case, they didn't even touch, and the kid wrecked himself.
2) Why he chose to run into the path of a moving racecar.