LGP NASCAR Thread

[mac5155]

He got out and was pointing at and running towards stewart as he was coming around. Looked like stewart tapped the gas, which sprint cars are designed to spin out slightly when you tap the gas.

[skullman80]

Maybe im desensitized, but the video doesnt bother me at all. Its so far away that you cant really tell what happens. Id much rather watch that than like a skateboarding leg break video. Obviously the end result is far worse, but reading about it hit my gut more than watching the video.

I think it bothered me more because I know the guy died, and I was basically watching him die on video. Just eery to me I guess. I dunno.

Yeah a guy snapping his leg on a skateboard is much more gruesome, but at the end of the day you know he still lives.

[dodint]

The Fox article says Stewart was following behind the car in front pretty close, the car in front jumped out of the way just in time and Stewart couldn't make the same maneuver in time. Perhaps gunning the throttle as a last ditch effort.
That's a really reasonable explanation. The other is that Stewart tried to spray him with mud and it got away from him and he popped him with the tire which is spinning at full speed now. Knowing Stewarts reputation the latter makes for good copy, but the former is easier to prove.

Going back to the 'deserves' discussion from the Facebook Fire Challenge, running down a bank on a mud track of Sprint cars with a hot track is a tough sell for 'accident', and at the very least it shows a healthy disrespect for motorsports and your own life. Maybe it's a product of big NASCAR glamorizing the helmet throwing and fights, I don't know.

[Idoit40fans]

If stewart was trying to spray him he should never race again and probably do prison time, i dont know his reputation, but the i like to think the former scenario is more likely to be reality.

[dodint]

People don't do (much, if any) prison time for vehicular manslaughter in everyday life let alone on a race track. If anything the Ward family might collect on the civil side unless the investigation is really conclusive that Ward was at fault. Which he was, but to what extent? Like I said, chasing after a speeding metal cage racing other speeding medal cages wearing nothing but a helmet is dumb anywhere but seems especially prevalent in NASCAR. It's even more pointless than fighting in hockey. But the fans love it!

He's a noted hothead. I don't follow NASCAR closely and I'm not sure if he's done anything even close to this before, just the usual hothead helmet throwing pit crew fighting stuff. He did touch off that 15 car sprint car pileup that ruined that 19 year old woman's career, but that was racing AFAIK.

[dodint]

As an aside, it's amazing how little people understand about how cars, physics, race organization, etc. actually work. Those Deadspin comments. Yeesh.

[Pavel Bure]

Guy is at fault IMO. Safety protocol would say stay in your car and certainly don't step in front of vehicles that aren't made to handle like street cars or stop like them. That's awful what happened but IMO not Stewart's fault.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

I never liked nor understood anything about car racing culture. This included.

What freaking moron would exit his car like this? God people are idiots

[dodint]

Watched the video a touch more just to see if I could make sense of anything. Three things stuck out: You watch Ward walk parallel to the racing line, and you can see the exact moment where he made the fatal mistake when he turns right and starts stepping down the track. The blue/white car did almost hit him, had to swerve and narrowly missed. Stewart hit him with the front right of the car, not rear right.
What I can't tell is when Stewarts guns it. My gutsays right at impact, but I just can't tell since it's that close. Given the speed of sound it's just too close call. A few folks have said it wasn't even his motor but the blue/white car reacting to its slide. The police were collecting more camera angles so maybe a wider angled shot will surface to help put things into perspective.

I'm not a TS fan, or even a NASCAR fan. But in reading through the tweets/comments I find myself annoyed that so many people *know* what Stewarts intent was. Had the blue/white car hit Ward it would be novelty news.

[Fire0nice228]

I'm an avid dirt track racing fan, I pray Tony wasn't trying to show his displeasure with Ward by attempting to spray him but only he knows what was going through his head in those moments. This is so sad. I know alot of people are hurting today and the sport gets national recognition it deserves but for the wrong reason.

Tony had , IMO, done a lot to clean up his reputation and gain some fans. He runs those Sprint Cars semi regularly because of love of the sport, hell he owns one of the most famous dirt tracks in the world (Eldora Speedway). He owns a very successful world of outlaw sprint car team. He's ingrained in the sport. This is a big blow to all of sprint car / dirt car racing.

Sprint car and dirt track racing in general is almost always good, relatively cheap fun on a summer night. Western PA and PA in general is known to have some of the best regional talent that can compete with the big national touring series when they're in the area. Lernerville speedway in Sarver, check it out.

[columbia]

@dodint

I saw the clip on ESPN - kind of shocked that they showed it - and your last sentence makes sense.

[Idoit40fans]

People don't do (much, if any) prison time for vehicular manslaughter in everyday life let alone on a race track. If anything the Ward family might collect on the civil side unless the investigation is really conclusive that Ward was at fault. Which he was, but to what extent? Like I said, chasing after a speeding metal cage racing other speeding medal cages wearing nothing but a helmet is dumb anywhere but seems especially prevalent in NASCAR. It's even more pointless than fighting in hockey. But the fans love it!

He's a noted hothead. I don't follow NASCAR closely and I'm not sure if he's done anything even close to this before, just the usual hothead helmet throwing pit crew fighting stuff. He did touch off that 15 car sprint car pileup that ruined that 19 year old woman's career, but that was racing AFAIK.

In the context of what i said, that would go beyond negligence.

[shafnutz05]

I'm fairly confident that Stewart was trying to spray him, misjudged it, and killed him. I think he was attempting to show his displeasure and made a horrible, horrible mistake. The guy should have never been there, but Tony's actions directly led to the death. Just my opinion

[Pavel Bure]

I think it helped that I watched the video without sound. With sound that starts bringing in questions of intent which no one can judge. Heck no one even knows if that was for sure Tony's engine that revved. Watch it without sound. It seems accidental when watching without sound... heck it seems accidental regardless. I think what should be taken away for racing is that you stay in your car when it wrecks regardless of anger or severity of the wreck.

[shmenguin]

Pretty sure it's a good idea for drivers to get away from a flaming gas tank.

[Firebird]

Well, when you run across a track looking for trouble....he found it, unfortunately....

[Firebird]

I think it helped that I watched the video without sound. With sound that starts bringing in questions of intent which no one can judge. Heck no one even knows if that was for sure Tony's engine that revved. Watch it without sound. It seems accidental when watching without sound... heck it seems accidental regardless. I think what should be taken away for racing is that you stay in your car when it wrecks regardless of anger or severity of the wreck.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/08/10/ ... -ny-track/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Something's up with the videos. On this CBS one, that "rev" is well before impact. On the deadspin one, it's right at impact.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Isn't the rec sound more likely to be from a car closer to the camera instead of Stewart who's across the track...?

[Idoit40fans]

I dont think so, why would anyone else rev like that during a caution? The reasoning for it would be the only thing to debate.

[CBear3]

The problem I have with the "mud bath" theory is that I dont know why Tony would even give the kid a lesson. Their racing by most accounts was very clean, and the way Ward crashed makes it probable that Tony didn't even know who the caution was for. The idea that he used the throttle to try to swerve the car seems most plausible to me.

[Fire0nice228]

For what a grain of salt is worth a supposed crew member of the blue/white car just in front of Tony posted on facebook that his driver said he barely saw Kevin at the last second and narrowly avoided him.

This sucks

[tifosi77]

I do not have any intention of watching the video, but I generally come down on the "don't meander out ontio a hot race track, and then you don't get run over - accidentally or otherwise" side of the debate.

If the guy was somewhere he should not have been and was violating the rules of competition, then Stewart's actions almost don't matter to me. (I mean, short of straight up squaring off and running him down)

[shafnutz05]

That I agree with

[columbia]

So will this cut down the WWE-style trash talking/posturing that seems to have become more popular in NASCAR?

[dodint]

The mechanism isn't really there for that change from NASCAR themselves since this wasn't a NASCAR sanctioned event. Might make future drivers think twice before running into traffic, though.