Sunday was supposed to be a celebratory day for auto racing in upstate New York. But instead of all eyes being pointed toward Watkins Glen for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series race at the Watkins Glen International road course, they were directed 50 miles to the north, in Canandaigua, as the sport was hit with an unbelievably tragic moment.
Tony Stewart, who was scheduled to drive the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS that he co-owns at Watkins Glen on Sunday, participated in a sprint car race Saturday at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park dirt track. Stewart was involved in a crash with 20-year-old local driver Kevin Ward Jr., who spun and hit the outside wall. Ward Jr., who took exception with how Stewart drove, got out of his car and walked down the track while pointing at Stewart’s car as it came back around the track.
That’s when tragedy struck. For reasons still unclear, Ward Jr. was run over by Stewart’s car. Ward Jr.’s body laid motionless on the track, where he died before an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital.
Stewart was “fully cooperative” with local law enforcement, according to Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero, who also said Stewart was visibly shaken by the incident while being questioned.
Saturday night’s events initially weren’t enough to keep Stewart out of his car for Sunday’s race back at Watkins Glen, however, according to SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli. Zipadelli said it would be “business as usual” early Sunday morning, and that he expected Stewart to still drive his car.
Thankfully, Zipadelli found enough class to send a different message to the media less than an hour later, as he announced that Stewart would, in fact, not be driving in Sunday’s race.
Zipadelli and NASCAR said it was Stewart’s decision to not race, but one has to wonder if there were other voices impacting Stewart’s decision. If he had raced on Sunday after what took place Saturday night, Stewart, SHR and NASCAR could have ”“ and probably would have ”“ faced a firestorm of backlash with long-ranging effects.
Whether Stewart is eventually found guilty of any charges ”“ criminal or civil ”“ remains to be seen. But it can’t be denied that he was involved in an incident that claimed a young driver’s life, and it would be irresponsible for Stewart to return to “business as usual” while Ward Jr.’s family has to deal with life that is anything but.
If Stewart had climbed into his car on Sunday and participated in the race, the negative reaction could have been far-reaching. Sponsors ”“ from those on Stewart’s car, to the race’s title sponsor, Cheez-Its, to the major corporations that help fund NASCAR ”“ would take a long look at their associations with the above parties.
NASCAR also would certainly be found guilty in the court of public opinion, as Stewart was all over social media on Sunday.
But Stewart never did get into his car on Sunday, or in front of the camera. The race at Watkins Glen went on as scheduled, albeit with a much less festive mood. The race was won by AJ Allmendinger, who despite capturing his first-ever victory in the Sprint Cup series, opened his interview in victory lane by offering condolences to the Ward family.
When the spotlight was on Allmendinger, he rightfully put it on Ward Jr. Where the spotlight wasn’t, for a brief moment, was on Stewart ”“ and rightfully so.
For what it’s worth, Stewart’s car, which was piloted by Regan Smith, was involved in a crash and finished 37th out of 43 cars.
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