Nascar Champion Tony Stewart Runs Over And Kills Fellow Sprint Car Racer

Nascar champion Tony Stewart fatally injured 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York on Saturday night.

The pair collided in a turn, which sent Ward spinning into the wall. The circuit went under a yellow flag, and the young driver jumped out of his car and ran onto the track to confront his opponent. As Stewart came back around, he ran over Ward, dragging him underneath the car briefly. Medics immediately attended to Ward, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Stewart pulled out of a Nascar race on Sunday, and released the following statement:

“There aren’t words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr … My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy.”

Although sheriff of Ontario County, Philip Povero, has said the investigation into the incident is not criminal, Deadspin is reporting a number of witnesses claim Stewart aimed for Ward, ‘gunning his engine’ as he approached. This caused the car to “set sideways, the right rear tire hit Kevin, Kevin was sucked underneath and was stuck under it for a second or two and then it threw him about 50 yards.”

We’ll update with further information when we get it.