posted 08-10-2014 12:09 PM                  

"Tony pinched him into the frontstretch wall, a racing thing," Graves said. "The right rear tire went down, he spun on the exit of (Turn) 2. They threw the caution and everything was toned down. Kevin got out of his car. … He was throwing his arms up all over the place at Tony for most of the corner.

"I know Tony could see him. I know how you can see out of these cars. When Tony got close to him, he hit the throttle. When you hit a throttle on a sprint car, the car sets sideways. It set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two and then it threw him about 50 yards.

posted 08-11-2014 08:15 AM                  

If you walk out into traffic lane on I-80 near Chicago, you are bound to get struck by a vehicle.......

Sadly, the 20 year old kid did just that > contributory negligence during temporary road/race rage and lack of good judgement.

I don't see any criminal charges being bought forward,,,possibly a civil case? The kid's relatives best have the money for some good lawyers ..... even with a win in civil court,,,appeals,,,this could drag on for a long time?

Ron Goldman's father is still waiting to collect from his civil court victory

posted 08-11-2014 02:46 PM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by ALLEY CAT:
I'll agree with silverkat and SILVRKAT...

If you walk out into traffic lane on I-80 near Chicago, you are bound to get struck by a vehicle.......

Sadly, the 20 year old kid did just that > [B]contributory negligence during temporary road/race rage and lack of good judgement.

I don't see any criminal charges being bought forward,,,possibly a civil case? The kid's relatives best have the money for some good lawyers ..... even with a win in civil court,,,appeals,,,this could drag on for a long time?

Ron Goldman's father is still waiting to collect from his civil court victory

[/B]

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posted 08-13-2014 03:53 PM                  

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The father of the driver run over and killed by Tony Stewart told The Syracuse Post-Standard that ''there's no reason for'' the crash that led to his son's death.

Kevin Ward Jr. was sent into the wall when his car was bumped by Stewart's in a dirt-track race on Saturday night in Canandaigua. Ward got out of the car and walked onto the track, where he was hit by Stewart.

Kevin Ward Sr. tells the newspaper that ''Tony Stewart was the best damn driver by far on the track that night. Why he had to go up as high as he did and hog my son, there's no reason for it.''

When the 20-year-old Ward got out of his damaged car, he walked on the track and appeared to point at Stewart. Other cars drove past him, but Stewart's right-rear tire appeared to hit him and drag him along the track.

''Apparently, Tony Stewart was the only one driving out there who didn't see him,'' Ward told the newspaper.

No charges have been filed against Stewart, but they are still possible.

posted 08-13-2014 06:43 PM                  

On Smoke striking Ward, who was coming down (outside of his race car) the track wearing a 'black' suit......Smoke had very little vision to see him there. Below is the view from inside a sprint car,,,,right side has little to no vision open for the driver:
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^ > Notice the right side of the 'wing', and how it blocks the right side vision.

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Local Phoenix radio talk-show host AND experienced dirt/sprint car driver Bruce St. James,,,,shares his opinion of the accident and resulting situation to Ward:

"Death of race car driver a tragic but possibly avoidable accident"

By: Bruce St. James [ 16 years experience driving sprint cars ]

"In light of the tragedy Saturday night that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr., and changed the life of NASCAR star Tony Stewart, I wanted to share some pictures and video to better illustrate some of the specific challenges drivers face inside (and out) the car.

The wing (or airfoil) comes down low on Tony Stewart's cars, not only in the front but along the right side (this is the same on all wing sprint cars). Having driven these cars as well, I know there is a huge blind spot on the right front corner from the wing.

It's hard enough to see what is directly in front of you through this narrow opening and nearly impossible to see what is ahead and to the drivers right.

From inside the cockpit there is anything but a full field of vision. This is not meant to make any excuses, merely point out that it is not obvious to me that Tony Stewart (or any of the other drivers) would have seen Ward as he walked down the track right into their blind spot.

The reality is that if Ward stays in his car, none of this happens. Heck, if he even waits a bit longer for the cars to slow down I think it could have been avoided. This is not the first time a driver, official, crew member or safety work has been struck at a race track, but it certainly is the highest profile accident and I hope we can learn from it.

I make a conscious effort to NOT get out of my car while others are still circling the track, mainly because I have always been concerned that another race car might hit my stalled car. I assure you I was very upset after being in a wreck in May but have seen enough tragedy to know I am safest inside the car and never get out until everyone is stopped or at a safe speed. I wish Ward had done the same."

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http://ktar.com/180/1557577/Bruce-St-James-Blogs

posted 08-14-2014 05:36 PM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by SirReal:
My four cents (inflation) the roll cage and all of the safety devices onboard are there to keep people alive. Once you leave that sanctuary, unless you're on fire is just a ridiculous and costly action. Nothing good ever comes out of the emotional red zone. This is racing and there is no guarantee that you won't be slammed into the wall somewhere. That sells tickets sadly but I think anyone getting out of their racecar for revenge should be banned not fined. Zero tolerance.

AC thanks for posting those pictures. I always wondered what their visabilty was like. The pics answered that. Wow!

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Then Tony Stewart should have been banned when he was involved in the incident where he did the exact same thing and threw his helmet at the oncoming car striking it in the windshield. He also attacked the driver afterward. They've ran the tape recently on ESPN.