Random Other Sports Musings

[Guest]

The descriptions I read before I saw the video made Stewart sound soooo much worse than the video justified, imo.

 

Maybe he was a reckless [expletive] who did something to contribute to the accident, but you'd have a helluva time proving it from the video.

 

I'd have to agree.

 

And there's a lot I do not know about this type of racing and those cars for me to even attempt to form any opinion on it beyond that so yeah.

[Sammys Boombox]

I'd really like to hear the opinions of those that were at the track and know the sport. However, even that has to be taken with a grain of salt. How are a bunch of people going to react when their peer is killed in a confrontation with a superstar?

[Soul]

The descriptions I read before I saw the video made Stewart sound soooo much worse than the video justified, imo.

 

Maybe he was a reckless [expletive] who did something to contribute to the accident, but you'd have a helluva time proving it from the video.

 

I'd have to agree.

 

And there's a lot I do not know about this type of racing and those cars for me to even attempt to form any opinion on it beyond that so yeah.

 

I've seen a couple of these Sprint-type races. They are fast (of course), and designed to slide more through the turns. It's pretty intense stuff when you see it live.

 

I don't think the video shows what I need to see to make a judgement -- the angle doesn't allow you see whether Stewart tried to dodge him or not. It looks like the previous car had to swerve, but again I can't really see. These are short track races, done in far more closed-in conditions and with much less lighting than what you would see at a NASCAR-type race.

 

I don't know. I feel like there won't be charges, but I can't say for sure. It was horrible watching that video though.

[kujay]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

[Brian707]

stewart is driving in a nascar race today? Christ.

just reading through some comments on internet stories about this, it is amazing the excuse making people are making for this guy..

 

 

Maybe Stewart could invoke "Stand your ground"? Typical rednecks. I see this took place in NY, so luckily its not Florida.

[Brian707]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

[jersey cubs fan]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

 

That would shock me.

[RynoRules]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

 

Guys, you don't need intent to commit vehicular manslaughter.

[jersey cubs fan]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

 

Guys, you don't need intent to commit vehicular manslaughter.

 

on a road

[kujay]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

 

Guys, you don't need intent to commit vehicular manslaughter.

 

Right but the guy was on foot on a race track. It's been awhile since I took crim law, but recklessness needs to be established, yes? Just seems thin to me.

 

And if no criminal charges are filed he won't be banned either.

[Banedon]

I thought this was an even-handed review of the situation:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/08/kevin_ward_jr_death_tony_stewart_ran_over_and_killed_a_fellow_driver_is.html

 

Charges so unlikely. Can't establish intent.

 

 

I agree, it will be very tough to establish intent, considering he ran towards Stewart. But I could see Stewart being banned from racing for life.

 

Guys, you don't need intent to commit vehicular manslaughter.

 

on a road

 

Exactly. If this was someone that was recognized as a "nice guy" instead of Stewart, this would be a whole different conversation. I don't know what Stewart intended, or what he didn't. Maybe he wanted to spray dirt on the kid...maybe he wanted to scare him...or...maybe he couldn't see the guy standing in the middle of the RACETRACK wearing a dark outfit in a poorly lit track...I don't know, and nobody really does.

 

What we can say for sure is that the guy shouldn't have been out of his car on the damn racetrack. I doubt Stewart sees any real repercussions from this, but I do think there will be rules changes as a result.

 

Getting out of a car that isn't about to explode while on the racetrack? 6 month suspension. Needs a heavy penalty to be effective.

[Guest]

How about some blame going to the damned racetrack? Everyone says it was poorly lit, which seems a horrible and unnecessary condition for racing.

[Soul]

I guess; it's so typical though.

[Guest]

I guess; it's so typical though.

Why?

[Soul]

I guess; it's so typical though.

Why?

 

I don't know. I've been to 3 or 4 of these local tracks and the lighting has always been much darker than the big time tracks.

 

Cost, probably? I know the one closest to where I live is reportedly hanging on by its fingertips.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

How about some blame going to the damned racetrack? Everyone says it was poorly lit, which seems a horrible and unnecessary condition for racing.

 

It was sufficiently lit for racing. It wasn't sufficiently lit for some crazy person getting out and running at moving cars.

 

But "horrible and unnecessary" is a good description for all dirt-track racing.

[jersey cubs fan]

I guess; it's so typical though.

Why?

maybe it adds to the reckless authenticity the sport's fans seem to require

[OleMissCub]

Interesting that someone of Tony Stewart's status was racing in a race that was so amateurish that the only vids we have are cell phone cams basically (at least that I've seen).

[Soul]

Interesting that someone of Tony Stewart's status was racing in a race that was so amateurish that the only vids we have are cell phone cams basically (at least that I've seen).

 

He does that. He goes to the smaller places -- sometimes with another NASCAR driver.

 

I live in Wisconsin, and he came back with Kenseth for a charity race one year.

[RynoRules]

Call it vehicular manslaughter or plain manslaughter, it doesn't matter. If he intended to spin his wheels in order to kick dirt at him or intimidate him, he could be criminally culpable. Expert analysis of the video (behavior of the vehicle) should give the prosecutors an idea of what happened. It's not that difficult a concept.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Call it vehicular manslaughter or plain manslaughter, it doesn't matter. If he intended to spin his wheels in order to kick dirt at him or intimidate him, he could be criminally culpable. Expert analysis of the video (behavior of the vehicle) should give the prosecutors an idea of what happened. It's not that difficult a concept.

 

In a million years, I don't know how you could differentiate between "kicking dirt" and hitting the gas to try to swerve away from the sudden appearance of an obstacle.

[RynoRules]

Call it vehicular manslaughter or plain manslaughter, it doesn't matter. If he intended to spin his wheels in order to kick dirt at him or intimidate him, he could be criminally culpable. Expert analysis of the video (behavior of the vehicle) should give the prosecutors an idea of what happened. It's not that difficult a concept.

 

In a million years, I don't know how you could differentiate between "kicking dirt" and hitting the gas to try to swerve away from the sudden appearance of an obstacle.

 

Maybe you can't - I'm not an expert on the behavior of motor vehicles. My point was that the notion that he can't be prosecuted absent evidence of intent or because he wasn't on a traditional road is absolutely incorrect.

[Guest]

Call it vehicular manslaughter or plain manslaughter, it doesn't matter. If he intended to spin his wheels in order to kick dirt at him or intimidate him, he could be criminally culpable. Expert analysis of the video (behavior of the vehicle) should give the prosecutors an idea of what happened. It's not that difficult a concept.

 

In a million years, I don't know how you could differentiate between "kicking dirt" and hitting the gas to try to swerve away from the sudden appearance of an obstacle.

 

Maybe you can't - I'm not an expert on the behavior of motor vehicles. My point was that the notion that he can't be prosecuted absent evidence of intent or because he wasn't on a traditional road is absolutely incorrect.

 

I think you're talking about evidence of intent to kill him and others are talking evidence of intent to do anything wrong (i.e. anything other than race or try to avoid hitting a guy if he saw him)

 

I can't imagine that he could be prosecuted for anything absent evidence of intent of ANY wrongdoing

[Banedon]

I can't imagine that he could be prosecuted for anything absent evidence of intent of ANY wrongdoing

 

Right. If you watch the video, the car in front of Stewart had to swerve to miss the kid. As tragic as this is, I really think the person at fault here was the kid that died.

[jersey cubs fan]

I can't imagine that he could be prosecuted for anything absent evidence of intent of ANY wrongdoing

 

Right. If you watch the video, the car in front of Stewart had to swerve to miss the kid. As tragic as this is, I really think the person at fault here was the kid that died.

 

It would be nice if they could prosecute everybody who decided to be a fan of racing in the first place.