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Charlotte, NC — NASCAR fans in Charlotte watched closely as a Grand Jury decided three-time champion Tony Stewart will not face charges in the death of fellow driver, Kevin Ward, Jr.
The tragic video of the collision shook the public.
“It was very disturbing,” said Travis Green.
The Ontario County District Attorney, Michael Tantillo, announced Wednesday that the Grand Jury reviewed the video frame by frame before deciding there is not enough evidence to charge Stewart with any crimes in the death.
“I am sure from their deliberations and their discussions that the fact that Kevin Ward was observed running basically down two-thirds of the track into a hot track in the middle of other cars racing played a big factor in their decision,” said Tantillo.
He says two dozen witnesses spoke, including race track drivers, employees, medical professionals and police.
He says test results did show Ward had enough marijuana in his system to impair his judgment.
After the hearing, Stewart posted on his website, “This has been the toughest and most emotional experience of my life, and it will stay with me forever.”
“He’s still human,” said Daryl Cherry. “That’s going to weigh on his conscience.”
Fans admit, there is one part of the video that plagues them.
“Hearing the engine rev. We don’t drive sprint cars so we don’t know exactly how they handle, but it still raises questions about what really happened,” said Green.
That was the message in Ward’s mother’s statement after the hearing. She wrote, “All the other vehicles were reducing speed and not accelerating, except for Tony Stewart who intentionally tried to intimidate Kevin by accelerating and sliding his car toward him, causing the tragedy.”
Fans are now watching the Wards who plan to challenge the jury’s decision. A lot of questions remain about who oversees dirt track racing, especially at fair grounds like the one in this case.
WCCB will keep you updated.
