WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Tony Stewart pulled out of the NASCAR race Sunday at Watkins Glen, 12 hours after the three-time Sprint Cup champion struck and killed a sprint car driver who had climbed from his car and was on the darkened dirt track trying to confront Stewart during a race in upstate New York.
Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing, said at a news conference Sunday that Stewart chose not to compete in the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen on Sunday following the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. The decision was an about-face for the organization, which initially said Stewart would be behind the wheel of his No. 14 Chevrolet when the green flag waved.
"We gave Tony some time to sleep on it," Zipadelli said. "He feels strongly this is the right thing to do. All you can do is what you feel is right, and we feel this is right. We get through today and do it the best we can as a group."
It was the second consecutive time Stewart missed the race at The Glen, where he has a NASCAR-record five victories. Last year he broke his leg in a sprint car accident in Iowa days before the Cup race at The Glen.
Stewart said in a released statement that Saturday night's crash has been "emotional" for all involved.
"There aren't words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr.," he said.
Ward's family released a statement Sunday evening saying they appreciated all the prayers and support they have received but that family members would like time to grieve.
Ward's website said he began racing go-karts in 1998 at age 4, and he started driving sprint cars in 2010. The 20-year-old from Port Leyden, N.Y., was Empire Super Sprint rookie of the year in 2012 and was in his fifth season racing the Empire Super Sprints.
The crash happened Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, a dirt track just north of Syracuse. Stewart, one of the top drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, frequently races at dirt track events as a hobby between big-money NASCAR races.
Ward crashed in Saturday night's dirt track race after being bumped by Stewart one lap earlier. Ward and Stewart were racing side-by-side for position as they exited a turn. Ward was on the outside when Stewart, on the bottom, seemed to slide toward Ward's car and crowd him toward the wall.
The rear tire of Stewart's car appeared to clip the front tire of Ward's car, and Ward spun into the fence.
Video showed Ward walking from his crashed car onto the racing surface as cars continued to circle the track. Ward was struck as he gestured at Stewart's passing car. Ward was standing to the right of Stewart's familiar No. 14 car, which appeared to kick out from the rear and hit Ward.
"The next thing I could see, I didn't see [Ward] anymore," witness Michael Messerly said. "It just seemed like he was suddenly gone."
Authorities questioned Stewart once Saturday night and went to Watkins Glen to talk to him again Sunday. They described him as "visibly shaken" after the crash and said he was cooperative.
Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said criminal charges haven't been ruled out, but that investigators also don't have any evidence at this point in the investigation to support criminal intent.
"Stewart is free to go about his business," Povero said.
The sheriff reiterated a plea for spectators to turn over photos and videos of the crash. He said cars on the track were traveling between 30-35 mph at the time Ward was struck. Investigators were reconstructing the accident and looking into everything from the dim lighting on a portion of the track to how muddy it was, as well as if the dark firesuit Ward was wearing played a role in his death.
Getting out of a wrecked car to confront another driver isn't uncommon in most series. Wrecked race cars can rarely be driven off the track, and the driver has to get out to find his way back to the pits or the garage. It creates ample opportunity for angry confrontations.
Stewart has had a few of his own, and everyone from Jeff Gordon to Danica Patrick has erupted in anger on the track at another driver. The confrontations are part of the sport's culture. Fans love the bumping, the banging and the bickering.
Driver Cory Sparks, a friend of Ward's, was driving in Saturday night's race and was a few cars back when Ward was killed.
"The timing was unsafe," he said of Ward's decision to get out of his car to confront Stewart. "When your adrenaline is going and you're taken out of a race, your emotions flare."
The site of Saturday night's crash is the same track where Stewart was involved in a July 2013 accident that seriously injured a 19-year-old driver. He later took responsibility for his car making contact with another and triggering the 15-car accident that left Alysha Ruggles with a compression fracture in her back.
The crash Saturday came almost exactly a year after Stewart suffered a compound fracture to his right leg in a sprint car race in Iowa. The injury cost him the second half of the NASCAR season. Stewart returned to sprint track racing last month and won in his return at Tri-City Motor Speedway in Michigan.
The broken leg cost him the entire second-half of last season and sidelined him during NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Stewart wasn't cleared to get back in a race car until February, the day the track opened for preparations for NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500.
Sports on 08/11/2014
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