That was already the rule, guy just broke it.
That was already the rule, guy just broke it.
I love how so many people who have never even been in a 900hp sprint car, let alone driven one on dirt, are now experts and know for certain that because Tony "gunned the throttle" (part of steering a sprint car btw, you know so you can dodge an object in the middle of the track) he intended to do something bad to this guy.
When that track was built, the first Formula 1 practice runs we're causing the drivers to pass out because of the speed of those cars and the extreme banking. That banking is still a problem for those drivers.
I think it's reasonable to assume that he might have intended to spray dirt on the kid, but it is entirely unreasonable to think that he intended to do him actual harm. Stewart may be a world class a-hole (or maybe not--it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between being an a-hole and being a driven competitor), but he's not stupid.
For all those who have an opinion based only on this video, and who have never seen, much less driven, one of these machines, here is a good example of the type of view these drivers have. Its not like driving your minivan that might have a 360 unobstructed line of sight.
From the video link posted, at 0:26, Kevin Ward exits his car and runs around it out into the track, pointing his finger. He then walks past his car opposite the flow of traffic. At 0:32 he dashes down the track a few steps to point his finger some more. At 0:34, #46 swerves to pass Kevin Ward, and the camera tracks the car for a moment. At 0:35, the camera returns to Kevin Ward, showing him in a crouch, like he has either lunged down the track or realizes that he is in the path of Tony Stewarts car. The time is still showing 0:35 when the right front tire of Stewarts car hits Kevin Ward. The engine doesnt rev up and the rear end of the car doesnt kick out to the left until after Stewarts car hits Kevin Ward.
So, from the time #46 swerves to pass Kevin Ward to the time Stewarts car hits Kevin Ward, just about one second passes. Does anyone here believe that they could have avoided someone who appeared in front of a car on a dirt track?
So, from the time #46 swerves to pass Kevin Ward to the time Stewarts car hits Kevin Ward, just about one second passes. Does anyone here believe that they could have avoided someone who appeared in front of a car on a dirt track?
If anyone used cutting brakes before, you will understand why Tony's car kicked out to the left. When the body of Ward was tangled in the right rear wheel/tire assembly this caused a drag on that side of the car, just like using a cutting brake would. This will make the car appear and actually turn to the right.
He may be an elite driver but in this particular situation we shouldn't judge him any harder than a 16 year old girl driving on an icy road.
I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I'm talking about.
The Firestone Firehawk 600, a CART race, was to be held on April 29, 2001. During practice and qualifying, however, 21 of 25 drivers[5] complained of dizziness and disorientation during two days of practice. Drivers experienced sustained G forces over 5 Gs, more than the typical human tolerance. With their powerful 900+ hp turbocharged engines and superspeedway downforce packages, the Champ Cars were averaging speeds well in excess of 230 mph (The track record, set by Paul Tracy, was 239.552 mph). This was much faster than IRL machinery of the time, and faster still than the speeds seen regularly by Sprint Cup cars. Brian Vickers' Sprint Cup qualifying record of 196.235 mph falls well short of Kenny Brack's 233.447 mph pole lap for this race.
With the possibility of drivers blacking out on the track, CART cancelled the race two hours before the scheduled start.
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