Did Tony Stewart Murder That Guy?

[dblack]

No it would not be. Rational would be realizing that NO driver is expecting or looking for a person walking on the track.

That's not entirely true. The whole point of a caution flag is for drivers to slow down and look for just such an occurrence. Emergency crews rely on the drivers NOT running over them while they're trying to clear a wreck. Which in no way excuses the stupidity of Ward marching down the track, into traffic, basically throwing a fit.

While I agree - it's not rational to assume it was intentional - Stewart should have been more careful, and regardless of what statements he's made, I promise you he's thinking the same thing about now.

What specifically should Stewart have done to have been more careful? This is not too hard to answer using hindsight. However, it's much more difficult to do before shit like this happens.

Of course. My guess is Stewart knew that Ward was grandstanding and thought it would be cute to throw some dirt on him. He just didn't expect him to be standing in the middle of the track.

There was ample stupidity on both sides of this - even stupidity on the part of the racing community for passively encouraging this kind of behavior. Hopefully it will be a wake up call.

 

[chikenwing]

And that is why Stewart will not be prosecuted. He will lawyer up, say the right things and never admit what he really did that night

Please do tell us what really happened that night,oh please!!!??

 

[rightwinger]

And that is why Stewart will not be prosecuted. He will lawyer up, say the right things and never admit what he really did that night

Please do tell us what really happened that night,oh please!!!??

OJ never told either

 

[Ravi]

What specifically should Stewart have done to have been more careful? This is not too hard to answer using hindsight. However, it's much more difficult to do before shit like this happens.

Not revved his engine when he was near Ward.

You can't prove that he did. The audio could have been any of the other drivers in the field revving their engine.

Your argument might then be, well, the car's rear end came around, and yes it did. But, anyone who has ever driven a rear wheel drive car or truck on dirt knows, that when you are doing around 40 mph and turn the wheel hard left, the rear end likes to kick out to the right.

Thus to me, the video that I have seen is inconclusive. It could be that Stewart saw Ward on the track at the last moment, turned hard left and the back end whipped out and caught him.

The only person who knows for sure, what happened, is Tony Stewart.

Isn't the speed limit under the flag supposed to be 35 mph?

 

[Desperado]

There is no set speed limit for the cars under the yellow... It all depends on the track.

 

[dblack]

Not revved his engine when he was near Ward.

You can't prove that he did. The audio could have been any of the other drivers in the field revving their engine.

Your argument might then be, well, the car's rear end came around, and yes it did. But, anyone who has ever driven a rear wheel drive car or truck on dirt knows, that when you are doing around 40 mph and turn the wheel hard left, the rear end likes to kick out to the right.

Thus to me, the video that I have seen is inconclusive. It could be that Stewart saw Ward on the track at the last moment, turned hard left and the back end whipped out and caught him.

The only person who knows for sure, what happened, is Tony Stewart.

Isn't the speed limit under the flag supposed to be 35 mph?

That's about the slowest speed sprint cars can go. They have direct drive transmissions, with no clutch and no starters. The driver can take the car out of gear, but that's a one way operation. Once in neutral, they coast to a stop and require a push-truck to start back up again. That's one reason you'll see sprint cars spinning their wheels at low speeds. Often, it's the only way to keep the car running, as letting the rpms drop any lower would kill the motor.

It's plausible that Stewart saw Ward, hit the brakes, and then tapped the accelerator (instinctively) to keep the engine from dying.