Police investigating incident involving Tony Stewart at N.Y. dirt track

[foghorn67]

You steer with throttle.
I'd imagine the differential will do funny things if you abruptly take your foot off the throttle.
The wings on these things do block anything remotely close to peripherals vision and then some.
OP has more vested interest on this story than he would like to admit.
Caution is being confused with red flags by a couple of folks, including OP.

 

[Vdubchaos]

When you are in a racetrack and you get hit/car disabled. If you are able to, get out and get the HELL out of the way.

Not get IN the way like this guy did.

I know he was angry and all but he should've just chilled his bones and he would still be here.

 

[JCH13]

When you are in a racetrack and you get hit/car disabled. If you are able to, get out and get the HELL out of the way.

Not get IN the way like this guy did.

I know he was angry and all but he should've just chilled his bones and he would still be here.

No one listen to this. Ever. Getting out of your car is contraindicated by every race track I have driven at. The only exceptions being (1) you are literally on fire or (2) you are directed to do so by safety/rescue personnel. Vdubchaos is talking about things he clearly is ignorant of and is clearly not an expert. If someone listened to you in this instance they could wind up dead quite easily.

 

[xBiffx]

No one listen to this. Ever. Getting out of your car is contraindicated by every race track I have driven at. The only exceptions being (1) you are literally on fire or (2) you are directed to do so by safety/rescue personnel. Vdubchaos is talking about things he clearly is ignorant of and is clearly not an expert. If someone listened to you in this instance they could wind up dead quite easily.

I think you should reread his post. He is saying exactly that.

 

[JCH13]

When you are in a racetrack and you get hit/car disabled. If you are able to, get out and get the HELL out of the way.

Not get IN the way like this guy did.

I know he was angry and all but he should've just chilled his bones and he would still be here.

I think you should reread his post. He is saying exactly that.

I don't think I missed anything...

You don't get out of your car unless it/you are on fire or rescue people ask you to. End of story.

 

[xBiffx]

I don't think I missed anything...

You don't get out of your car unless it/you are on fire or rescue people ask you to. End of story.

I see it now. Sorry about that.

Thought he was saying get the vehicle out of the way. I didn't notice the get out of it part.

 

[Topweasel]

The more I hear and read on this I think that Tony stepped on the throttle to turn more to the left to dodge the kid, but it wasn't enough because the way these are setup it when turning like that it kicks out the rear end.

 

[exar333]

I don't think I missed anything...

You don't get out of your car unless it/you are on fire or rescue people ask you to. End of story.

This.

It is common sense, really. 200lb person vs. fast moving 2000lb+ metal object. Figure it out...stay in the car unless you are literally burning or being crushed.

 

[mirageracerx]

angry or not you must think of safety first. these arent cars for normal daily driving use. they are run, and run hard. and they are set up that way with different steering angles from a suspension aspect. the engines and brakes respond differently than your toyota corolla. you gun it on one of these you are going to the left. one thing i disliked about the overall tone of this topic is that we should demonize tony. which i highly disagree with. racing isnt safe, if you want to do it, realize you can and will die if you act like an idiot. Track crews try to make things as safe as possible, but there is only so much that can be done if people dont adhere to rules. there is a reason you stay in your car and wait for safety teams as this guy found out. my fav quote from this whole thing was a guy accusing another of acting like a safety official...well guess what? thats the safe thing to do FOR A REASON! i mean i can suggest people to not skyscraper jump without a parachute but that doesnt mean its the skyscraper architect's fault.

 

[JCH13]

angry or not you must think of safety first. these arent cars for normal daily driving use. they are run, and run hard. and they are set up that way with different steering angles from a suspension aspect. the engines and brakes respond differently than your toyota corolla. you gun it on one of these you are going to the left. one thing i disliked about the overall tone of this topic is that we should demonize tony. which i highly disagree with. racing isnt safe, if you want to do it, realize you can and will die if you act like an idiot. Track crews try to make things as safe as possible, but there is only so much that can be done if people dont adhere to rules. there is a reason you stay in your car and wait for safety teams as this guy found out. my fav quote from this whole thing was a guy accusing another of acting like a safety official...well guess what? thats the safe thing to do FOR A REASON! i mean i can suggest people to not skyscraper jump without a parachute but that doesnt mean its the skyscraper architect's fault.

It appears as if Kevin Ward Jr didn't actually violate any rules, which is an absolutely stunning omission in all associated rule-books: http://www.motorsport.com/sprint/ne...ave-violated-no-rules-in-confronting-stewart/

However, the incident is prompting some discussion of rule changes:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stay-in-stay-safe-the-kevin-ward-jr-rule.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...k-nascar-tony-stewart-kevin-ward-jr/13928315/

 

[monkeydelmagico]

It appears as if Kevin Ward Jr didn't actually violate any rules, which is an absolutely stunning omission in all associated rule-books: http://www.motorsport.com/sprint/ne...ave-violated-no-rules-in-confronting-stewart/

However, the incident is prompting some discussion of rule changes:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stay-in-stay-safe-the-kevin-ward-jr-rule.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...k-nascar-tony-stewart-kevin-ward-jr/13928315/

Unbelievable. Why does it always take someone dying before common sense rules get adopted?

 

[LTC8K6]

Well, you can't entirely prohibit it. The car may be smoking or about to catch fire or something. Or the driver might just believe he needs to get out right now.

The rule should be that you only get out if you have to. If you have to get out of the car, you must immediately go to the nearest safe spot at the closest fence or wall and wait.

Or something like that. You can't always wait for the safety crew.

 

[LTC8K6]

I agree with the red flag idea. A driver walking on the track in the absence of the safety crew should generate a red flag.

 

[JCH13]

Unbelievable. Why does it always take someone dying before common sense rules get adopted?

As I and others have posted - many tracks and governing bodies have rules like this in place. Squeetard's local track will ban you for life if you get out of your car without reason.

Well, you can't entirely prohibit it. The car may be smoking or about to catch fire or something. Or the driver might just believe he needs to get out right now.

The rule should be that you only get out if you have to. If you have to get out of the car, you must immediately go to the nearest safe spot at the closest fence or wall and wait.

Or something like that. You can't always wait for the safety crew.

Exceptions are proposed for 'imminent danger.' For anything even remotely as serious as a fire I've always seen tracks red-flagged immediately.

 

[michal1980]

Unbelievable. Why does it always take someone dying before common sense rules get adopted?

because common sense should tell you its stupid to run into the middle of a track when cars are going around.

 

[desy]

TS is the only one who knows if he intended to brush the guy off, miss him or didn't know how o react at all.
Video can't represent what was in the guys heart, I'm positive he didn't intend to hurt him but that would be it. Manslaughter maybe, only he knows

 

[John Connor]

When I seen the video on the news the only thing I could think of was 'why the fuck was he standing in the middle of a race track?'

 

[Brian Stirling]

The video I've seen isn't vary conclusive and unless something more pops up I'd find it unlikely that he will face criminal prosecution. He is likely to be sued by the kids family, but I don't know if the wavers one signs as a driver will limit/prevent civil proceedings.

I do believe NASCAR has taken notice and its likely we'll see rules changes that penalize drivers that confront another driver ON THE TRACK.


Brian

 

[thedarkwolf]

http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20140812e

 

[Railgun]

Common f'n sense. Seriously...

 

[Triumph]

Saw a blurb of the video this morning showing the video right before he gets hit. Looks like he was trying to confront Tony Stewart for maybe running him into the wall or something? Sounds to me like a young 20 year old hot head thinks he can make a name for himself by confronting one of the biggest names in motorsports. Yielding disastrous results. If that's the case, I got no problem with the outcome.

 

[unokitty]

NASCAR, Sponsors, Race Teams Could Soon Feel Ripple Effects Of Tony Stewart Incident

Ward's death is the latest of several on- and off-track incidents that have raised questions about why he always seems caught in a maelstrom of controversy" (USA TODAY, 8/11). SI.com's Michael McCann noted Stewart has "lucrative endorsement deals with such blue chip companies as Coca-Cola, Chevrolet and Mobil 1," which "likely contain 'morals clauses.'” Stewart, like Tiger Woods following his sex scandal in '09, could "face a loss of endorsement deals because of the controversy, settling aside whether it leads to any legal consequences" (SI.com, 8/10).

... a marketing expert told The Post on Monday that it’s likely only a matter of time before they (sponsors) start jumping ship, even if Stewart is never criminally prosecuted...

“I think they’ll wait a bit,” said Sturner, who runs the New York-based Leverage Agency and believes contractual issues could delay the anticipated exodus.

But “blue-chip sponsors are going to have real issues” with what happened on the dirt track in Canandaigua, he said.

Sturner even expects some sponsors to invoke “morals clauses” likely contained in their endorsement agreements with Stewart.

These clauses spell out unacceptable behavior for an endorser associated with a brand.

And it doesn’t have to be criminal behavior, either.

Everyone is welcome to their opinion. My opinion is that is isn't a positive for NASCAR, or for their sponsors, to have a three time NASCAR champion running over and killing a 20 year old at a dirt track.

Uno

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Definitely not positive. Even if it was an accident (on Tony's part)... which I FULLY believe it was. I cant believe that he would ever have done something like that intentionally and it blows me away that people would ever accuse him of it. I see a huge difference between losing ones temper and throwing things at a competitors car vs intentionally running someone down.

The article is correct though. He will lose sponsorship, but he'll regain them over time. In fact all the media attention has really brought his name to the forefront, and may actually be a positive for him in the long run... sponsorshipwise. Especially if he comes back and wins a major NASCAR event.

 

[Triumph]

NASCAR, Sponsors, Race Teams Could Soon Feel Ripple Effects Of Tony Stewart Incident

Everyone is welcome to their opinion. My opinion is that is isn't a positive for NASCAR, or for their sponsors, to have a three time NASCAR champion running over and killing a 20 year old at a dirt track.

Uno

My opinion is that I can look at things rationally, understand that accidents happen, and that this reflects neither poorly nor favorably on NASCAR. It is neither positive nor negative, it simply is. But then, that's just me being logical.

 

[LTC8K6]

Tony has withdrawn from the Michigan race.