Posted on 08/10/2014 5:04:09 AM PDT by CaptainK
NASCAR star Tony Stewart hit and killed another driver who was walking on the track in a sprint car race on Saturday night.
The other driver, Kevin Ward Jr., had collided with Stewart on the previous lap, leaving Wards car with a flat tire and pushed into the wall. As officials threw a caution, Ward left his car and began walking down the track gesturing angrily toward Stewart before being clipped and dragged 50 feet by Stewarts car.
Several spectators told Bob Pockrass of The Sporting News that Stewart appeared to throttle his car before colliding with Ward.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
These tracks are only so wide. Especially on the back stretch. Normally a race official would have tried to stop him from doing what he did. But being a local Saturday Night track they don't have best safety crews. Probably most are volunteers.
There isn’t a racing surface in the world that is PEDESTRIAN friendly. Not even Baja 1000—where spectators get into the path of the vehicles all the time.
Sorry I wasn’t clear.. I meant was did all this happen after the race was over.. now I see it didn’t
EVERY racing event I have ever purchased a ticket for clearly states on the back that there is no Liability coverage for may happen to you there.
You buy the ticket—you take an INFORMED chance on what can happen to you.
The only DELIBERATE actions I can see in all of this is that the young man exited his car & walked into the path of other cars still running.
Thanks, rtm.
Yep. One of the main reasons why anybody worth millions shouldn’t play with average folks.
Race tracks are in the business of limited liability, but everything’s up in the air with today’s courts.
I hope Tony drives today & for many more
days & nightsfor the rest of his life.
****************
Tony made the decision earlier today to not drive.
Regan Smith will be his replacement.
The start your engines command was just giving to the
Drivers at Watkins Glen.
Just cant feature racing the next day after a fatality.....wow.”””
Pete Robinson was a premier drag racer of his day.
he as killed Pomona years ago.
Racing went on the next day.
Same for Jimmy Nix & others.
Just cant feature racing the next day after a fatality.....wow.”””
Pete Robinson was a premier drag racer of his day.
He was killed Pomona years ago.
Racing went on the next day.
Same for Jimmy Nix & others.
Stewart is about my least favorite driver but I’m not one of the morons who seems to live with the fantasy that he’s the only aggressive driver out there.
Aggressive driving is what they do and the “amateurs” on the dirt tracks tend to be worst of all. Most don’t make it because big money teams won’t take the risk of hiring them.
ESPN isn’t racing today?
OR ESPN isn’t going to broadcast the race today?
Which is it?
I have it on...ESPN
ESPNHD is televising the race. They are on now with the first
of three warm up laps underway.
theres also the question of why a top NASCAR driver would be competing in a race in a backwater dirt track to begin with.””””
Tony Stewart races all kinds of events.
He owns a couple or three of such small town tracks, and he keeps spending money into the small towns where they are located.
There are hundreds of small town race tracks all over the USA.
Drivers do NOT show up in NASCAR on Sunday full-blown as seasoned drivers.
They all get their starts somewhere & the number of small town tracks would probably surprise most people.
In the early 70’s, I went to a Sat night race in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Had a great time. Cost about $2 for a seat & drinks were 50 cents & hot dogs were about a buck. Dirt track, and wood bleacher seats.
Without all these training grounds, there would NOT be NASCAR—INDY cars—Drag racing on TV- and even Formula One drivers.
I have seen the following:
The final round in a drag race.
One of the competing cars has a dead cylinder.
The crew drains the water out of the block.
They remove the spark plug wire from that plug & tape the wire to the rocker cover, in plain view.
They run the car with a dry block on 7 cylinders.
They win——
All of this for a prize of $1000.
Racers are racers.
IF you have never known a truly competitive racer—you have been shortchanged in your lifespan.
I have known a great many & have been the richer for having done so.
Its what Dale Earnhardt was known for”””
He was called The Intimidator for a reason.
Look at some of the old footage of Cale Yarborough—Donnie Allison—Lots of them.
Sorry, I guess my comment wants clear, what I meant was as of early this morning Tony Stewart stated HE was planning on racing as usual today. I thought that was a little odd. Later his team announced he decided not to participate in today’s race. Apologies for any confusion.
Never heard of such in a Sprint Car or a midget—or a drag race car—or a drag race boat—
Also, the theres also the question of why a top NASCAR driver would be competing in a race in a backwater dirt track to begin with.” comment wasn’t mine, I just commented on it. Personally I dont understand why people are questioning TS racing at that level, nascar drivers (Ken Schrader comes to mind) have been doing it for a long time.
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