Saturday night dirt track racing at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Upstate New York came to an abrupt halt when NASCAR driver Tony Stewart struck and killed 20-year-old racer Kevin Ward. The incident occurred at Turn 2 of lap 14 of the 25-lap race. Ward's upper body was struck by the massive wing on Tony Stewart's sprint car. The force sent Ward 50 feet across the dirt.
3-time Champion Tony Stewart is currently under investigation for Ward's death. According to witnesses, Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. were involved in some contact the lap before, which caused Ward to spin out at the top of the turn. When Ward emerged from his immobilized racing car, he is clearly upset and aggressively motions at Tony Stewart while standing in the middle of the race track. Ward was struck by Tony Stewart at racing speed.
"It happened in Turn 2," witness Adam Dulski told USA Today. "The prior lap, Tony had gotten into him – just spun him, nothing big, just spun him around. The caution came out. He hopped out of the car – the driver of the 13 [Kevin Ward]… he hopped out to go and yell and point a finger at Tony, typical thing.
"Tony came around... the back end slid out, and he definitely caught him – I couldn't tell if it was with the front or the back of the car. The body made contact with the car and went sliding across the track a long distance, at least 50 feet. It was the worst thing I've ever seen."
"Stewart has fully cooperated with investigation," said Philip C. Povero of the Ontario County Sheriff's Department. Kevin Ward was taken to a hospital and later died. "He acknowledges the collision with the driver."
"A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating," read a statement issued by Stewart-Haas Racing. "Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We’re still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time."
Watch the gruesome video of the crash involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward in the video below. Viewer's discretion is advised:
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