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

[Perfectlap]

He MOST certainly will face prosecution.

And the Frances along with NASCAR will be writing the biggest check they have ever signed.
Years of token fines on millionaire arseholes have come home to roost.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

He MOST certainly will face prosecution.

And the Frances along with NASCAR will be writing the biggest check they have ever signed.
Years of token fines on millionaire arseholes have come home to roost.

I don't think this race had anything to do with NASCAR, did it?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Timco

I don't think this race had anything to do with NASCAR, did it?

Correct, nothing to do with NASCAR.

This was a Sprint car race (open wheel cars on dirt tracks) held at Canandaigua Motorsports Park (north of Syracuse, NY).

NASCAR is racing at Watkins Glen today which is about 80 miles southwest of Syracuse.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Timco

I don't think this race had anything to do with NASCAR, did it?

Trust me the family's lawyers will name Stewart, NASCAR, and anyone who allowed Stewart to enter this race. And they will find a way to argue that the wrist slaps he's received in the past contribued/permitted his status as an 'safe' driver whose aggression was incompatible with a junior formula.... or something to that effect. And a bunch of other stuff that a top dollar law firm will think of. And being that the event took place in NY state where the Governor is potential candidate for higher office, and not in a NASCAR home turf state like North Carolina, means its not just a local prosecutor's call.
The fact that the guy who wrecked him is also the guy who ran him over is very damning (from a victim's lawyer view) and not remotely a risk that NASCAR and Stewart's lawyers are going to gamble with in front of a jury. The family's trial lawyer will simply run "Tony Stewart's greatest "hits"' of deliberate spins and crashes in front of a jury to show he's a hot head, dangerous and skilled enough to know that he should have kept to the inside instead of driving close enough, presumably to flip him off or worse scare him, to have put the deceased in danger. Thats where the state prosecutor will be pondering Stewarts actions as "depraved indifference" or whatever they call it in New York state. And its not just criminal intent as the Sheriff mentioned under the prosecutor's consideration, but also criminal negligence. Frankly I'm amazed that the Sherrif has come out so unequivocally in Stewart's favor at this stage when all evidence that may exist hasnt even been gathered yet. But as a civil matter, the defendants won't let it go that far even if plaintiffs would love to settle during trial where the stakes go up ten fold.

Either way NASCAR will be writing one giant check whose sum will of course be 'confidential'. A NASCAR team owner killing a kid not old to drink a beer has no precedence. Which means they will be swinging for the fences.

[Wrencher]

The kid got OUT OF HIS CAR! Dumb, rookie move, and then he compounded it by running down the track INTO THE RACING LINE! Stewart was (is) an idiot to even be in that race with a bunch of nobodies racing for peanuts, but hey!, he loves to race and it cost him.

This probably cost him big time, (rightly so) but he's gonna clear this incident no problem.
Bottom line, the hot headed kid f****d up big time, and he paid the price. Nobody is gonna' pull that stunt again....

Hans

[jsceash]

I'm reading these comments and began to wonder how many making the remarks have ever been at a dirt track ever. During the course of qualifiers and heats a bumper or curb gets built up through the entire track above and below the race line. Driver will avoid these at all time including during cautions. They are at least a lane up from the bottom of the track, and about a lane down from the top wall, it can be as high as a foot on some tracks. Second the sprint cars run serious stagger to the right rear, meaning the car is wider to the right rear than any other point on the car. Last if the car and driver are within a 100 feet of another car you are being drenched in dust and bits of mud, so it's very hard to keep good clear vision. If you've been at one of these even there are hundreds of tear off sheets floating around the track usually as many as one per drive per lap. I've been at this track really bad bumpers they don't maintain them during the race. Not a big TS fan but he was not that high on the track compared to where the bumper builds up. The kid RAN down in front of him at least three car lanes I was very surprised the car before TS didn't hit him.

[jb92563]

Its a tragic event, but getting out of the car and heading into traffic is a fatal mistake, if not TS someone else might have clipped him.

Race car driving is dangerous, everyone takes the risk knowing it could cost you your life.

That kid was not mature or experienced enough and let his emotions govern his actions and he paid the ultimate price.

Accidents happen in racing.

However, we can count on the conservatives out there to take this opportunity to try banning sprint racing altogether.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by jb92563

Its a tragic event, but getting out of the car and heading into traffic is a fatal mistake, if not TS someone else might have clipped him.

Race car driving is dangerous, everyone takes the risk knowing it could cost you your life.

That kid was not mature or experienced enough and let his emotions govern his actions and he paid the ultimate price.

Accidents happen in racing.

However, we can count on the conservatives out there to take this opportunity to try banning sprint racing altogether.

Can we leave politics out of this? It seems the left are the ones wanting to pass a new law to solve every issue from luggage fees to CA banning firearms that have never been used in a crime.

[BIGJake111]

Originally Posted by Timco

Can we leave politics out of this? It seems the left are the ones wanting to pass a new law to solve every issue from luggage fees to CA banning firearms that have never been used in a crime.

"Can we leave politics out," proceeds to post counterpoint about other side of the spectrum 😛. While I agree with you, be weary of the instigation here.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

"Can we leave politics out," proceeds to post counterpoint about other side of the spectrum 😛. While I agree with you, be weary of the instigation here.

Well, to be fair, he did have it backwards. I just threw out two easy examples....

Agreed though.