Tony Stewart reportedly runs over fellow driver

ThePrideofShiner

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E5 Yaz said:
 
Not anymore, it isn't
 
I think in situations like this it still is. They can lean on local media, whereas ESPN has to rely on its own workers.
 
Anyway, AP just moved something, though it doesn't have anything that we don't know already.
 

Cellar-Door

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E5 Yaz said:
 
The tragedy is what has happened to this kid and his family.
 
But ESPN is a network that goes with "sources" all the time before things become confirmed. 
Not on stuff like this usually. I seem to remember them being among the most cautious in reporting on the Marathon Bombing, the Aaron Hernandez case etc. When it comes to real news stories that involve legal issues and deaths they go real slow, usually waiting on AP or other "news" stations to take the first step. This isn't a contract signing or a trade, they seem to tread light on these things by company policy.
 

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Cellar-Door said:
Not on stuff like this usually. I seem to remember them being among the most cautious in reporting on the Marathon Bombing, the Aaron Hernandez case etc. When it comes to real news stories that involve legal issues and deaths they go real slow, usually waiting on AP or other "news" stations to take the first step. This isn't a contract signing or a trade, they seem to tread light on these things by company policy.
CNN could learn something here.
 

LogansDad

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rembrat said:
I wonder if Tony's car had a GoPro on it...
I realize this is tongue in cheek, but I assume they have a radio in this league and I am sure that will be admitted as evidence, and could determine whether or not there was actually intent.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Holy shit, what a fucked up story.
 
I know he's been doing it his whole life, but I've never understood why Stewart continues to race these dirt track events.  The guy's a mega-millionaire, who races in arguably the most advanced, recognized and popular series in the entire sport, and he spends his Saturday nights before a race racing for peanuts at some local track.  To then take it so seriously that it could lead to something like this.  Just odd.
 

rembrat

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It's not tongue in cheek. You get about 60,000 hits if you search "Sprint car gopro" on YouTube.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I don't know that they have radios at this level.  I did read somewhere that Stewart's car had an in-car camera though (well, a Go Pro), so I assume that's going to be collected, and I'd be shocked if there wasn't someone in the stands that caught this on their phone, if the actual videographers covering the race didn't.
 

LogansDad

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ThePrideofShiner

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Didn't look like he tried to hit him, but he definitely gunned the motor and there were terrible consequences for it. He's definitely going to get charged for that.
 

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LogansDad said:
Hmmm, I wonder if the kid was involved in that wreck, too, and so it's what caused him to take exception tonight.
 
Also, you guys will not convince me to watch that video.
I clicked because I wondered if there was anyway to ascertain intent but had to pause. I feel ill.
 

soxhop411

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why would he go out onto the track with cars still going around at pretty high speeds?
 

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That is horrible. You can see the the extreme panic in those first responders as soon as they get to him. Catastrophic injury type response.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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soxhop411 said:
why would he go out onto the track with cars still going around at pretty high speeds?
 
Yeah, seems like a pretty dumb decision. Though the other driver slowed down and went around. And it was under caution, so I don't think they are supposed to be driving very fast.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Yeah, I don't think the original reports of him gunning the engine and the back end swinging out and clipping the kid are true.  I think the Stewart gunned the engine as he was going by the kid, and the kid either got too close or Tony got too close, and as he passed him, he got caught under the tire and dragged.  Not seeing the intent that was implied by all of the reports earlier though.
 

rembrat

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soxhop411 said:
why would he go out onto the track with cars still going around at pretty high speeds?
 
That happens all the time believe it or not. BUT, usually the guys driving by don't pull off the stupid shit Tony tried to. 
 

ThePrideofShiner

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Deathofthebambino said:
Yeah, I don't think the original reports of him gunning the engine and the back end swinging out and clipping the kid are true.  I think the Stewart gunned the engine as he was going by the kid, and the kid either got too close or Tony got too close, and as he passed him, he got caught under the tire and dragged.  Not seeing the intent that was implied by all of the reports earlier though.
 
Well, he certainly didn't try to swerve out of the way like the other driver did. And he certainly gunned the engine. That pushes it more toward intent than just straight up accident in my mind.
 

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Deathofthebambino said:
Yeah, I don't think the original reports of him gunning the engine and the back end swinging out and clipping the kid are true.  I think the Stewart gunned the engine as he was going by the kid, and the kid either got too close or Tony got too close, and as he passed him, he got caught under the tire and dragged.  Not seeing the intent that was implied by all of the reports earlier though.
same.... 
 

rembrat

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ThePrideofShiner said:
 
Well, he certainly didn't try to swerve out of the way like the other driver did. And he certainly gunned the engine. That pushes it more toward intent than just straight up accident in my mind.
 
Yea. It looks like Tony tried to "scare" the kid by attempting to gun it towards him and veering off at the last second but that don't work to well with these cars and dirt... That video looks damning especially when you take into account Tony's history on tracks.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I don't think he actually gunned the engine until after he hit the kid.  IMO, it could easily be construed that he was trying to pass the kid quickly and gunned the engine just as he got alongside him.  It's hard to know if Stewart even saw the kid until the last couple of seconds, given the field of vision those cars and helmets allow, and there was another car in front of him.  We'll probably never know for sure, but to me, it really does look like it could just be a tragic accident.  Kid wanted to go up and scream at Tony as he went by, he got too close, Tony didn't see him until it was too late, gunned it to get by him quickly and the kid got caught under his wheels. 
 
No matter what, the whole thing sure does suck.
 
FTR, I'm not a Stewart fan, but the pitchforks need to get put away for a little bit.  His reputation as a hothead certainly isn't going to help the cause, but it's a big leap from hothead to killer. Going to be a lot to live with for Stewart going forward no matter how it shakes out.
 

Zereck

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My first thought was wondering why the guy ran out onto the track like that. Is that really commonplace? What's the reasoning behind it?
 

twibnotes

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rembrat said:
 
Yea. It looks like Tony tried to "scare" the kid by attempting to gun it towards him and veering off at the last second but that don't work to well with these cars and dirt... That video looks damning especially when you take into account Tony's history on tracks.
You seem to know your racing, Rembrat. Is there any chance Stewart was trying to accelerate past the kid for fear that he was coming to close to the car or to avoid an incident?

Edit: beaten to the punch by deathofthebambino
 

rembrat

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twibnotes said:
You seem to know your racing, Rembrat. Is there any chance Stewart was trying to accelerate past the kid for fear that he was coming to close to the car or to avoid an incident?
 
Actually, I take back what I said. There is a lot to this accident that we don't know yet and what Death wrote makes sense. I have no idea man and I'm just trying to make sense of it. It sucks.
 

Deathofthebambino

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If I'm Tony's defense team, that's certainly what I'm claiming.  We'll never know if it's true, but it easily could be that Tony didn't see him until the last second, his instinct was to gun it and get passed him, not knowing if he was going to throw something at him (something Tony has done) and the kid was just too close.  Reasonable doubt.
 

soxhop411

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also, it was 12:30 at the time of the accident, and he is in a VERY DARK suit... he might not have saw him until it was late
 

twibnotes

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Deathofthebambino said:
If I'm Tony's defense team, that's certainly what I'm claiming.  We'll never know if it's true, but it easily could be that Tony didn't see him until the last second, his instinct was to gun it and get passed him, not knowing if he was going to throw something at him (something Tony has done) and the kid was just too close.  Reasonable doubt.
That the kid was wearing black only adds to this positioning. It seems plausible that Stewart only saw him at the last second

Edit: beaten to the punch again! Sorry...
 

Deathofthebambino

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I'll say it again though.  WTF is Tony Stewart (or any of these other NASCAR guys that do it) doing moonlighting at 12:30 a.m. at a dirt track the day before one of the final races of the NASCAR season.  I just don't get it.
 

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Deathofthebambino said:
I'll say it again though.  WTF is Tony Stewart (or any of these other NASCAR guys that do it) doing moonlighting at 12:30 a.m. at a dirt track the day before one of the final races of the NASCAR season.  I just don't get it.
Isn't Tony Stewart the guy who did an F-1 race and the Daytona 500 in the same day or something crazy like that? I remember he almost died of hydration or something. He just loves racing, or I'm making shit up.
 

rembrat

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Darnell's Son said:
Isn't Tony Stewart the guy who did an F-1 race and the Daytona 500 in the same day or something crazy like that? I remember he almost died of hydration or something. He just loves racing, or I'm making shit up.
 
Yep. Though it was the Indy 500 and then a race down in North Carolina not the 500. It's like a badge of honor.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I believe he's one of the guys that has run the Coca Cola 600 and the Indy 500 in the same day.  Kurt Busch did it earlier this season.  He, the Busch brothers, Kasey Kahne, Kenseth and a few other guys run these dirt events and other non-NASCAR events throughout the season.  I can understand running an Indy and a NASCAR race on the same day.  That's like Bo Jackson playing an MLB game after an NFL game (not that ever did), in that they are both at the highest levels of their sport.  However, these little dirt track events probably pay less than a couple thousand bucks to the winner on a given night, and I highly doubt that whatever appearance fee the track might give him offsets the costs of him getting there with his entourage, etc.  It just makes no sense, especially when you have a major race about 14 hours later in the day.
 

soxhop411

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Prescott Rossi ‏@PrescottRossi  3m
Povero identifies Tony Stewart as hitting driver on the track. Driver was transported by ambulance. Driver was dead on arrival.
 
Prescott Rossi ‏@PrescottRossi  2m
Povero not releasing name of the driver as they try to notify other family members.
 
Prescott Rossi ‏@PrescottRossi  2m
Tony Stewart has been cooperative. Believed to be back at Watkins Glen according to Sheriff Povero.
 
Prescott Rossi ‏@PrescottRossi  1m
District attorney's office has been notified. "This is an ongoing investigation of an on-track crash." No charges pending at this time.
 
Prescott Rossi ‏@PrescottRossi  7s
Sheriff Povero: "Mr. Stewart has been fully cooperative... He is very upset and confirmed his contiuning cooperation."
 
https://twitter.com/PrescottRossi
 

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Darnell's Son said:
Isn't Tony Stewart the guy who did an F-1 race and the Daytona 500 in the same day or something crazy like that? I remember he almost died of hydration or something. He just loves racing, or I'm making shit up.
The bolded is funny. Stupid Red Sox keeping me up late.