Why Tony Stewart must race after tragedy

Tony Stewart (Getty Images)
Tony Stewart (Getty Images)
Tony Stewart (Getty Images)

Tony Stewart was involved in a terrible incident Saturday night at Canandiagua Motorsports Park in upstate New York. In the aftermath 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. was dead and racing fans were putting the blame squarely on three time NASCAR champion Stewart.

Video showed that Ward had been involved with Stewart on the previous lap. The video showed Ward’s car as it came to rest on the back stretch. Ward exited the vehicle, and still wearing his racing helmet walked toward the line of cars circling under caution.  He angrily pointed towards the car driven by Stewart; Stewart’s car struck Ward who was thrown in the air and landed several feet away. Ward was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero later said in a news conference that Stewart was “fully co-operative” and appeared “very upset” after the incident adding that the investigation is not criminal and that no charges have been filed. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.