Tony Stewart hit fellow driver with his car while he was walking on the track

[CowboyDan]

What does that have to do with anything?

They didn't hit him. Stewart did.

In fact, that could work against Stewart because the DA could always point out that other cars were able to avoid Ward but Stewart did not.





YR

It absolutely matters. You didn't answer the question, but I'm assuming you can clearly see that he did almost get hit twice by two other cars before ultimately being hit by Stewart's car. You can also clearly see that the #45 car moves in the same action that Stewart's car moves when attempting to avoid Ward. Now surely you don't think that the two other cars were trying to run down Ward.....or that they were also trying to intimidate him, do you?

You're talking about inches, not feet. The problem is Ward wasn't confronting #45...he was confronting Stewart and got a little too close. People can construe this as Stewart trying to intimidate the kid or trying to hit him. But if that is true than they also have to admit that the first two cars were trying to do the same thing. In which case they should be clamoring for both of those drivers to be brought up on charges as well. Attempted vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment or the like. But no one is saying that because neither of those drivers are well known.

 

[trickblue]

Here, this may help.



Sprint cars are absolute bulls to control. They make 800+ hp (more than a Nascar) and visibility is limited, especially at night. Here's in car video with Jack Haudenschild.....one of the best in the country.

That's pretty dang intense...

 

[CowboyDan]

That's pretty dang intense...

Absolutely! Makes Nascar seem a little boring now, don't it?

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

The DA is an elected politician.

If there is enough pressure demanding that Stewart be prosecuted, many DA's will do just that because they want to be re-elected. And many of the DA's that succumb to the pressure will find an expert that fits the agenda of prosecuting.

There are also DA's that will not bow to pressure, but it depends on what DA you come across.

Anybody thinking that Stewart being prosecuted could *never* happen really doesn't understand the law or the justice system.






YR

All very true. And with this being a local kid who was killed there could be pressure. I doubt he will be charged criminally, but as you say it could happen. I do believe there will be a civil lawsuit, probably settled out of court.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Absolutely! Makes Nascar seem a little boring now, don't it?

Not many people realize sprint cars are faster than the Cup cars we see in NASCAR.

 

[CowboyDan]

Agreed. It's pretty sad to hear national broadcasters calling it the minor leagues and comparing it to if Peyton Manning were to go down and play vs. Oklahoma. It's insulting, really. Ask Steve Kinser or Sammy Swindell about how "minor league" sprint car racing is.

 

[Keifer]

Not many people realize sprint cars are faster than the Cup cars we see in NASCAR.

They are not faster but many do make more horsepower.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

They are not faster but many do make more horsepower.

They are much faster. The only reason they don't turn the 200 mph you see the Cup cars turn is because they don't run super speedways. So you have to compare the only track they have ever both competed on. A few years back they covered Bristol Motor Speedway with dirt and held a World of Outlaw race. The Sprints cars turned over 2 seconds a lap faster than the cup cars. The way they built the dirt track at Bristol they couldn't use the banking, so the track was pretty flat. If they could have banked it the difference would have been more around 4 or 5 seconds a lap faster. That is an eternity in racing.

 

[trickblue]

Absolutely! Makes Nascar seem a little boring now, don't it?

It's like 250 NASCAR left turns on steroids while throwing in 20 or 30 of Koopa Troopas at every turn...

The reaction time is amazing...

 

[Risen Star]

Not many people realize sprint cars are faster than the Cup cars we see in NASCAR.

Probably because that isn't even close to being true.

 

[Risen Star]

They are much faster. The only reason they don't turn the 200 mph you see the Cup cars turn is because they don't run super speedways. So you have to compare the only track they have ever both competed on. A few years back they covered Bristol Motor Speedway with dirt and held a World of Outlaw race. The Sprints cars turned over 2 seconds a lap faster than the cup cars. The way they built the dirt track at Bristol they couldn't use the banking, so the track was pretty flat. If they could have banked it the difference would have been more around 4 or 5 seconds a lap faster. That is an eternity in racing.

Oh, you mean on really short tracks that are more built for a sprint car over a much heavier cup car?

In that case, I agree. But they'd never reach the speeds the cup cars do on superspeedways.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Oh, you mean on really short tracks that are more built for a sprint car over a much heavier cup car?

In that case, I agree. But they'd never reach the speeds the cup cars do on superspeedways.

They turned well over 180 mph on the Syracuse Mile, which is much faster than a cup car on a mile.

1200 lbs @ 850 HP vs. 3400 lbs @ 800 HP. It's simple physics.

But no, they'll never run super speedways for the same reason the WOO quit running miles, they aren't built to crash at those speeds. But if they did they'd be faster there too.

 

[Risen Star]

They turned well over 180 mph on the Syracuse Mile, which is much faster than a cup car on a mile.

1200 lbs @ 850 HP vs. 3400 lbs @ 800 HP. It's simple physics.

But no, they'll never run super speedways for the same reason the WOO quit running miles, they aren't built to crash at those speeds. But if they did they'd be faster there too.

It's not just about horsepower. If you know anything at all about racing you know how critical the air is on a superspeedway. It's nice and all to try to convince people who don't follow racing that sprint cars would turn well over 200 MPH at a place like Talladega but the truth is they wouldn't. Heck, they'd need to go 230 plus to even have a chance to be faster than a Cup car as those cars are heavily restricted on those tracks and are still doing 200 MPH.

A sprint car is not built for that kind of speed.

 

[CowboyDan]

I think we have a battle of semantics here, gents. If you took a WoO motor and threw it into a Nascar, it would be faster than it is with the current "restricted" motors that sprint cars run at superspeedways. There....fair enough? Remember, Nascar is also limited to using only small blocks.

Anyway, back on point....

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

A sprint car is not built for that kind of speed.

I understand your point but mine is they are capable. You won't even accept they are faster competing on the same size track even though it has been proven beyond any doubt so I have no idea what else to say to you about this.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Remember, Nascar is also limited to using only small blocks.

So are sprint cars. Some tried big blocks in the past but the weight was too much to overcome, they were no better than small blocks and in most cases worse. Almost all sprint car sanctioning bodies limit the engines to 410 cu.

 

[CowboyDan]

hmmm, didn't know that. Learn something new each day.

 

[Rogah]

NASCAR is in a very tricky position here. If they say it was just an accident, then they can't really punish him. But if they say there was some sort of intent behind the maneuver, then they really have to throw the book at him. There is not much middle ground to say "a man died because of Stewart's recklessness, so we're suspending him for 1 race and making him do 2 stop-n-go pit stops."

I doubt he gets punished at all. Everyone at NASCAR benefits if the public perception of this whole thing is that it was 100% accident.

 

[big dog cowboy]

NASCAR is in a very tricky position here. If they say it was just an accident, then they can't really punish him. But if they say there was some sort of intent behind the maneuver...

How do you prove intent? NASCAR's position isn't that tricky IMO. If the legal system can't find anything to charge or if they do and ultimately Stewart is not convicted of anything they are off the hook.

 

[CowboyDan]

Agreed. Nascar already screwed up though.....they are more concerned with Tony Stewart than with Ward Jr.