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 Ward’s 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 Stewart’s 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 ...
You might be correct. But if that were the case it would likely mean the vehicle was being accelerated at the time of impact. Ever hit a speed berm fast without foot on the accelerator? It just punishes the suspension. You might even lose control or even swerve due to the tires briefly losing contact with the road surface, but the engine will not or should not rev at a higher RPM.
” it would likely mean the vehicle was being accelerated at the time of impact. “
I don’t think I agree, but am not 100% certain If an engine is under a load, it’s rpms are held back. Release that load, and the rpms instantly go up to a no-load condition. It would sound like acceleration, but really wouldn’t be
You can test this on any motor, gas or electric. Remove the load, and the motor’s rpms go right up.
Oh, they’ll test everything....
But they way, take your vehicle, get up to about 60MPH, take foot off the accelerator and hit a speed bump or any other obstacle in the road. Chances are great you will not hear your *engine* rev up or accelerate...But your suspension will hate you.
That being said, I would assume if a professional driver knew he just sent another vehicle out of control, end over end, into the wall or whatever, about 25 seconds later as he passed the collision scene, he would exercise great caution due to the potential of debris, bodies or stalled stopped vehicles.
I have to concur.
“Chances are great you will not hear your *engine* rev up or accelerate...”
Yeah, but you mixing apples and door knobs! A Sprint car has no transmission. It’s either hooked up to the wheels, or it ain’t. That fat tire is everything to a Sprint car. It’s your traction, and it’s also your steering. It’s not like your granddad’s Oldsmobile! You unload any engine, and the revs will go up., it’s just not noticeable in a family car, with all sorts of computer controls. In a Sprint car, we’re talking about a powerful engine, hooked up directly to the rear axle. Engine rpms go up when the load is gone. They don’t have to work to pull the load. If your gas pedal got stuck, and you shifted into neutral, your engine will race, and probably blow up under a no load condition!
Looked to me like Stewart swerved but not to hit him but to try to dodge him and the guy was just in the way. It’s hard to control something going that fast.
It was a very tragic, unfortunate accident. It WAS crazy to walk out on a track filled with fast-moving machines, though!
Trust me they will enhance and slow down the video to the point where they can determine exactly at what point the vehicle accelerated...If it were caused by the body of the victim being ground up and spit out, OK...
Again, I would assume if a professional driver knew he just sent another vehicle out of control, end over end, into the wall or whatever, about 25 seconds later as he passed the collision scene, he would exercise great caution due to the potential of debris, bodies or stalled/stopped vehicles.
No?
Again, based on the video, it appears the victim had a clear view to the suspect vehicle as the was walking towards it pointing at it. It would seem logical if this were the case, the vehicle could also have a forward view of the victim standing there defiantly pointing at him.
Just some thoughts.
FYI the car was going only about 45 mph at that point. It would be more accurate to say a sprint car going that slow on dirt is cumbersome to steer.
Still, negligence, involuntary manslaughter. Motive is not always needed.
Yeah. Nothing is conclusive at this time. Did Ward’s car flip end over end? Or just end up against the wall? I’m not a fan of the cars with wings. I prefer them without them. The wings let the cars corner much faster, but when things go askew, the wings make for more spectacular wrecks, as when they go out of line, the suckers flip really easily!
But a motive could have possibly existed...
A young nobody driver standing out there defiantly pointing at and calling out a famous big time professional driver?
Were words exchanged between teams prior to this? Over a radio? Face to face? Between drivers? Anything happen prior or during the race?
All these questions and more will be asked and investigated.
Lots of interviews/statements to gather.
Yup.
“FYI the car was going only about 45 mph at that point. It would be more accurate to say a sprint car going that slow on dirt is cumbersome to steer. “
I was a driving at about 45 when a deer dashed out in front of me. I had no time to react! Thank goodness she cleared the road just as I went by!
Good point. I am such a speed amateur. :)
If you can't link what you saw, could you at least tell us where we can go to view it ourselves?
Thanks.
The video I saw is still up at “Dead Spin”: http://deadspin.com/reports-tony-stewart-ran-over-opposing-driver-during-1618893708
You aren't listening to "the video". The camera has a zoom lens: It doesn't have a zoom microphone. The sounds on the video are of cars on the front stretch, not the backstretch.
The video doesn't show Tony Stewart's car until almost the moment of impact. It isn't at all clear to me that Tony Stewart sped up before the impact.
There are probably other videos that will surface, but, right now, I don't think the video we've all seen shows Stewart doing anything particularly negligent. I'm withholding judgement pending further evidence.
That video is everywhere.
The point is, Ghost of SVR4 says he(she) has seen a *new* video that shows a different angle.
That’s the one I’d like him to post. Or point to.
Trail of breadcrumbs.
Map with an “X.”
A strong hint.
But that's beside the point. Why do so many men of all races insist on getting themselves and each other killed with this stupid behavior, and what can we do to stop it?
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