Tony Stewart hits rival driver, kills him in Sprint car race..

[ep3_lol]

The DA specified there was enough there to consider him "under the influence". What exactly that means I have no idea.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Giller

Wow, that would explain the stupidity of wandering around on a live track. Can't believe no one noticed Ward was that high before the race and stopped his going out there.

LOL. Do you know how many drivers in traffic around you are "high" on marijuana every single day?
And as someone who at point used to perform drug testing, aggressive or reckless behavior is not what's associated with THC. And that's if he even smoked it that day. And given how close he was racing a world class professional racing driver like Stewart, I HIGHLY doubt the kid was impaired at the time of the incident.


Man Tony Steward just caught the luckiest break of his life.
Did anyone test him for anything?

[gmboxster]

This was the expected outcome.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Did anyone test him for anything?

No toxicology test for Stewart. However, the police did have a certified drug recognition expert (what ever that is) interview him immediately after the race and that person found no basis for alcohol or drug impairment (and thus no test was performed).

[jsceash]

Originally Posted by thstone

No toxicology test for Stewart. However, the police did have a certified drug recognition expert (what ever that is) interview him immediately after the race and that person found no basis for alcohol or drug impairment (and thus no test was performed).

Nascar drivers are subject to random tests every week and as their history reflects this is grounds for immediate suspension. As a team owner and drive this would be a double whammy. I doubt he be that defiant of the rules.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

LOL. Do you know how many drivers in traffic around you are "high" on marijuana every single day?
And as someone who at point used to perform drug testing, aggressive or reckless behavior is not what's associated with THC. And that's if he even smoked it that day. And given how close he was racing a world class professional racing driver like Stewart, I HIGHLY doubt the kid was impaired at the time of the incident.


Man Tony Steward just caught the luckiest break of his life.
Did anyone test him for anything?

According to sources (DA), KW was impaired - meaning he was unable to make/use proper judgments, and this led directly to him making a very bad decision to walk out on the track. THC metabolizes very quickly - so if they found evidence of this, he was impaired. Not sure where you get the HIGHLY doubt then.
And your 'argument' about other drivers - does that somehow make it right? If you are impaired, you should not be driving. And whomever let KW get into that car should bear some responsibility. If you are a bartender, and you let someone leave your place and they get in an accident, you could be help liable.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Giller

Not sure where you get the HIGHLY doubt then.
And your 'argument' about other drivers - does that somehow make it right? If you are impaired, you should not be driving..

If you are impaired you will not be driving in a race of this type, that requires constant corrections and focusing, against a completely unimpaired professional racing driver. Think about it... You can can't have it both ways.

My reference to other drivers in traffic is to point out that millions of marijuana smokers drive in traffic every single day of the calendar without a pandemic of marijuana driving accidents. Neither do the police perform random urine tests like they perform sobriety tests. In both situations there are quick and cheap devices that can confirm the presence of alcohol or THC. I know because I used to do these, in 5-10 minutes you have a result for cocaine, THC, heroin and probably ecstasy now. Despite years of study and testing no legislation has ever been passed for roadside tests for illicit drug use while driving nor have law enforcement pushed for this. My point isn't to be "pro marijuana legalization". It's to refute what seems like a pretty obvious effort to shift focus off of Stewart.

As to getting out of the car, that was more likely due to his age than the presence of marijuana. There's much research on the inability of young people to maintain rational, clear-minded thought at times of high emotion. It's a neurological development that does not finish until a young person is well into their 20's. There are also individuals with the so called "warrior" gene that pushes them towards danger and aggression during high emotion. THC provoking road rage where the person under this drug runs into traffic? Completely contradictory to what I saw on a daily basis.
We did have people get aggressive and violent, but those were usually cocaine and meth users.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by jsceash

Nascar drivers are subject to random tests every week and as their history reflects this is grounds for immediate suspension. As a team owner and drive this would be a double whammy. I doubt he be that defiant of the rules.

Any random drug test can be beaten. See 1999 - 2005 for one Lance Armstrong during which he passed hundreds of drug tests performed by a multitude of multinational laboratories under supervision by various governing bodies.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

If you are impaired you will not be driving in a race of this type, that requires constant corrections and focusing, against a completely unimpaired professional racing driver. Think about it... You can can't have it both ways.

My reference to other drivers in traffic is to point out that millions of marijuana smokers drive in traffic every single day of the calendar without a pandemic of marijuana driving accidents. Neither do the police perform random urine tests like they perform sobriety tests. In both situations there are quick and cheap devices that can confirm the presence of alcohol or THC. I know because I used to do these, in 5-10 minutes you have a result for cocaine, THC, heroin and probably ecstasy now. Despite years of study and testing no legislation has ever been passed for roadside tests for illicit drug use while driving nor have law enforcement pushed for this. My point isn't to be "pro marijuana legalization". It's to refute what seems like a pretty obvious effort to shift focus off of Stewart.

As to getting out of the car, that was more likely due to his age than the presence of marijuana. There's much research on the inability of young people to maintain rational, clear-minded thought at times of high emotion. It's a neurological development that does not finish until a young person is well into their 20's. There are also individuals with the so called "warrior" gene that pushes them towards danger and aggression during high emotion. THC provoking road rage where the person under this drug runs into traffic? Completely contradictory to what I saw on a daily basis.
We did have people get aggressive and violent, but those were usually cocaine and meth users.

You can't have it both ways either. You say there are people driving all over the place while high - but they don't get in accidents. But then you say the reason KW got out of his car is because of his age....but then if that were the case, we would have young kids causing all sorts of road rage then. Again, where I come from, it happens, but happens just as much with older drivers too.
The fact from what I can see is that KW was high. THC metabolizes very fast. If it still showed in his system at such a high amount, his judgment was impaired. Hence my point - someone should have stopped him. It appears someone dropped the ball here.
Yes, THC mellows you out - but that is still an impairment and does cause different results in different people. We've all seen alcoholics who are even more mellow when they drink and some who fly off the handle. Drugs react differently to different people.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Any random drug test can be beaten. See 1999 - 2005 for one Lance Armstrong during which he passed hundreds of drug tests performed by a multitude of multinational laboratories under supervision by various governing bodies.

He wasn't exactly smoking weed. That's not so easy to beat. Even a skinny daily smoker can test positive a month plus after the last toke. Trust me on this. (My son)

And as to his abilities while high, I'll say he absolutely could possibly race and compete after a hit or two. Depends on how it affects him and how regularly he used it. (Personal experience)

Unless they smelled it on his breath, a test could not tell if he got high that morning or at lunch or 15 minutes before the race as far as I know. Only a field sobriety test.

The decision to get out of the car was age and environment driven.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Giller

Yes, THC mellows you out - but that is still an impairment and does cause different results in different people. We've all seen alcoholics who are even more mellow when they drink and some who fly off the handle. Drugs react differently to different people.

Yes but my point is that the inference that the decision to step out of the car and towards the approaching cars because of THC is tenuous at best. And that's if you can even establish that the high hadn't worn off at the time of the race. We also don't know how much THC would have been needed to impair his decision making as he could have been a chronic user with higher baselines.
Also, it could very well be that the THC reduced his anxiety and stress levels and allowed him focus better. Yes quiet the opposite of what we may be thinking. A recent German study not long ago concluded that THC was effective in treating ADHD.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Yes but my point is that the inference that the decision to step out of the car and towards the approaching cars because of THC is tenuous at best. And that's if you can even establish that the high hadn't worn off at the time of the race. We also don't know how much THC would have been needed to impair his decision making as he could have been a chronic user with higher baselines.
Also, it could very well be that the THC reduced his anxiety and stress levels and allowed him focus better. Yes quiet the opposite of what we may be thinking. A recent German study not long ago concluded that THC was effective in treating ADHD.

There is no doubt there are dozens of questions we will never know the answer to. THC has many beneficial uses while at the same time can also cause poor judgment and/or impairment. We don't know how it affected KW. Did it affect his decision to get out of the car? Or was that age? Or possibly a combination of both?
All we have are our opinions, many based on personal experiences and personal bias. In this case, as we will never have the actual answer - none of us are right and none are wrong - but still fun to debate and talk about.

[Xpit77]

It needs to be said that there was a loss of life here. Also, someones pro career is now tainted. The Ward weed thing and Tony`s racetrack mindset can be debated till the cows come home. Thoughts and prayers have been given to the Ward family from fans around the world. Tony`s fans have also supported him.
Time to put this to rest and let both groups move on.

[Slate 01]

Originally Posted by Xpit77

It needs to be said that there was a loss of life here. Also, someones pro career is now tainted. The Ward weed thing and Tony`s racetrack mindset can be debated till the cows come home. Thoughts and prayers have been given to the Ward family from fans around the world. Tony`s fans have also supported him.
Time to put this to rest and let both groups move on.

Just imagine the reaction and legal issues if Tony Stewart had been proven to be high when he hit the guy who was high and chose to walk into traffic on the racetrack. People do stupid things and stupid things (sad too) happen.