Speaking quietly and his voice trembling, NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart said Friday that the death of Kevin Ward Jr. will “affect my life forever” as he returned to the track for the first time since his car struck and killed the fellow driver during a sprint-car race in New York three weeks ago.
Tony Stewart will return to Sprint Cup competition Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ending a three-race hiatus taken after he struck and killed a fellow driver during a dirt-track race. The three-time NASCAR champion has not raced since his car hit Kevin Ward Jr. at an Aug. 9 sprint car event in upstate New York.
Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race he’s skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race.
Kyle Busch finished fifth in Saturday’s NASCAR Truck Series race in Michigan. It was his 500th NASCAR start in a Toyota.
NASCAR added a rule Friday ordering drivers to not approach the track or moving cars after accidents. The announcement comes less than a week after a driver was struck and killed during a dirt-track race in New York.
Tony Stewart will not race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, skipping a second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup race since striking and killing a driver in a dirt-track race at a small New York track.
Kevin Ward Jr.’s friends, family and fellow racing enthusiasts overflowed a high school auditorium Thursday to grieve and share stories about the 20-year-old dirt-track racer who was struck and killed by a car driven by NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.
Funeral services for dirt-track racer Kevin Ward Jr. were held Thursday, and the ESPN NASCAR Twitter account is taking some heat for a couple of tweets.
Tony Stewart could still face criminal charges for running down Kevin Ward Jr. with his sprint car, even if the three-time NASCAR champion didn’t mean to kill Ward, hurt him or even scare him.
