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.
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.
The collision was as common as any in racing. Kevin Ward Jr.’s car spun twice like a top, wheels hugging the wall, before it plopped backward on the dimly lit dirt track.
Tony Stewart pulled out of the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen Sunday, 12 hours after the three-time champion struck and killed a sprint car driver who had climbed from his car and was on the darkened dirt track trying to confront Stewart during a race in upstate New York.
