Tony Stewart kills fellow race car driver in racing accident

Famous NASCAR race car driver, Tony Stewart, has hit and killed a fellow race car driver who was walking on the track during a sprint car race at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York on Saturday night.

The other race car driver, Kevin Ward Jr., had collided with Stewart on the previous lap which had left Ward’s car with a flat tire after having been pushed into the wall. Ignoring the warnings that officials threw his way, Ward left his car and began angrily walking down the track towards Stewart before being clipped by Stewart’s car and dragged 50 feet.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero confirmed that Ward was put onto an ambulance and taken to Thompson Health where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Povero said that Stewart was “fully cooperative” and that they are not currently investigating the incident as a criminal matter.

“This is an ongoing investigation of an on-track crash,” Povero said. “Next is continuing interviews, a continued evaluation of evidence we have, including video, and there is certainly going to be an evaluation of medical evidence when it is collected from the autopsy.”

Mike Arning, a spokesman for NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing, said that “A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating. 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.”

Read more about the story at the Washington Post.