Author’s Note:  Everything included in this piece was found online through public posts.  I did not use any type of deceit to get the information. No copyright was intended or infringed upon. I don’t know any of the parties involved. I don’t have any agenda. I am curious and I believe in being educated. I want to form my own opinions when it comes to current events. I looked, and all of this is there for everyone to find. (Although I do believe that it will be removed posthaste as soon as word gets out….) I do not intend to disrespect or offend anyone. I am not belittling the grief anyone is feeling. I don’t believe anyone is a criminal, and I don’t think anyone is a bad person. This is not meant as threats, harassment or slander. This is an opinion essay only. No harm is intended.

I have been following the Ward vs. Stewart case since this racing accident took place a year ago. It’s sort of like a train wreck—you don’t want to see the carnage, but you can’t look away. I was curious, and went in search of answers.

At first glance, all I saw was war zones. I’m not sure that lashing out on social media and making an ass of yourself is a healthy form of expression, but who am I to quibble? It makes for great entertainment.

There are familial bursts of rage:

There are Ward supporter’s threatening people with violence:

There are Stewart fans whose ethics, I cannot support:

And there are creative memes:

Perhaps the one who seems to have started this trend was Kevin’s Aunt Wendi. God love her. What a fireball!

Aunt Wendi even continued her emotional ranting when the investigation was complete by writing a bitter, open letter. You can read it for yourself here: http://www.9news.com/story/sports/2014/09/28/wendi-ward-open-letter-kevin-racer/16392023/ She hints that Tony was exonerated because of his celebrity and mishandling of the case by the authorities. Where is the proof? Why hasn’t the family filed complaints against the authorities or a lawsuit against the racetrack? I totally disagree with Aunt Wendi’s point of view, but I have to admire the chutzpah she has to actually let that writing go public.

People with a lot more expertise and knowledge than me and Aunt Wendi have completed investigations on this. In the face of so much forensics proof and evidence, the Ward family continually vilifies and blames Tony Stewart for the death of their son. The evidence is overwhelmingly against that allegation, in my opinion. Obviously the DA’s office, the grand jury, and the authorities that investigated this accident agree with me, and I’m sure I haven’t seen but a small portion of the evidence. If anyone would like to allow me to see it, I would be happier than a nerd hanging out on the set of The Big Bang Theory.

But, I digress…

EVIDENCE:  Kevin Ward Jr. had enough marijuana in his system to “significantly’ impair his judgment. Mr. Tantillo says the tests were run 3 different times with the same result.

According to their taped interview on GMA, the Ward family does not believe Kevin Jr was impaired. They stop short of saying that they believe he had been using. Did they know he had smoked? Did they know if it was a habitual thing? Do they know these things now?

Some members of the family certainly knew that he drank while under age. And they knew that he drank a considerable amount during a family wedding. Kevin, Jr looks like he was a happy drunk to me.

Was Kevin Jr was so engrossed with that Bud Lite in his hand, that he missed the garter removal?

Wait! Wha…? He passed out on a card table?

Aahh! I guess he did...

That red can certainly looks like a Budweiser to me. This photo was included with several others. They show the group camping while traveling for Kevin Jr to race at Oshweken.  Were there any on track incidents that weekend that may have been caused by his alcohol use? How many other weekends had he been drinking and raced?

According to this article, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/zone-life-death-kevin-ward-jr-article-1.1905813, Kevin was known to cut class, and it states further that, “His mother, Pamela, proved complicit, writing notes to teachers to offer cover.” So is she or any other member of the family continuing to cover for more of his misbehavior by claiming that he wasn’t impaired?

If the Ward family is in charge of Kevin’s estate and can sue on his behalf, doesn’t it stand to reason that racetracks and racing leagues could hold them accountable for their son’s bad choices? Doesn’t it make sense that the drivers who raced against their son should be able to get some form of recompense because he placed their lives in further in danger by driving under the influence?

EVIDENCE:  Kevin Ward Jr got out of his car against racing rules.

The Wards claim that even though their son chose to get out of his car, chose to walk into the line of traffic, and chose to grab a moving vehicle, that Tony is to blame for his death.

Just for fun, let’s use this same thought process. Some guy runs you off the road one night at a curve in the road. You get out of your car to call him a sack of Siberian Snodgrass, and you walk into the lane of traffic, hoping he comes back around. As you’re dodging other cars, the guy approaches the corner again. You grab his open window, lose your grip, and fall under the car. He runs over you and the next thing you see is Aunt Mildred smiling at you under her mustache with her famous Nutella and Sauerkraut Pie at the Pearly Gates.

Using the Ward’s reasoning, it’s the sack of Siberian Snodgrass’s fault for running over you because you were standing in the middle of the road, cussing him and grabbing his moving vehicle. This makes not one iota of sense to me.

No ONE deserved to die, but the bottom line is, if Kevin Jr had stayed in his car, he would not have been hit AT ALL.  The remainder of the events would never have happened.

At least one member of the Ward family claims that Tony (“a professional Nascar driver”) had “no right to push” Kevin Jr towards the wall “just to get past him”. Tony was not the only experienced racer on the track that night. Do the Wards think Tony was there to run parade laps? C’mon. That is a pretty piss-poor statement to use as an excuse for someone that broke the rules and went headlong into moving traffic on the racetrack.  Do they blame Tony for being a great racer? Are they blaming Tony for doing what he loves just like Kevin Jr? If so, it’s a bit hypocritical, isn’t it?

Tony Stewart is a racer. He is a hall of fame racer. However, he is not always the best driver with the best car on the track. The Wards and their expert story telling pastor/attorney, Mark Lanier, (http://www.lanierlawfirm.com/attorneys/w_mark_lanier.htm ) have used words like “the best”, “professional” and “champion” to describe Tony.  After listening to the GMA interview, reading the complaint that was filed, and reading the drivel online, I'd like to know something. How can he be the best, and yet fail at trying to “throw dirt” on someone? If he were as good as they claim, he wouldn't have failed at throwing that dirt. So, do they think he is that good, or do they think he screwed up? I don't think they can have it both ways.

During my ramblings, I came across photographs that had been posted years before the accident. I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t some sort of eerie connection working in the cosmos, or if the Ward family were actually fans of Tony Stewart. This may explain why their emotions and grief are overriding their rational thought process. Some photos show the Ward family at the same track as Tony participating in a race.

 

 

They even took photos in the pits. I wonder if this friend still says Tony is her favorite man?

I bet Tony really hates seeing photos of himself with ex-girlfriends...

And well, I will let you make your own opinions about these…

Conspiracy theorists might say that the Wards had been watching Tony for a while, looking for a way to get a payday. Cynics might think Kevin Jr, knowing how much Tony Stewart does for the sport and its racers, may have gotten out of his vehicle to gain Tony’s attention. There are plenty of chat rooms and groups online for people to join if they want to go down either of these routes. Just make sure to grow thick skin and take cover when the fighting starts…

EVIDENCE: “The videos did not show any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart UNTIL the point of impact with Kevin Jr, at which point his vehicle veered to the right UP the track as a result of the collision. Prior to that, the course was pretty straight.” Experts have shown that Stewart had approximately 1.3 seconds to react. Experts have shown that the revving motor in the video belongs to a car on the track closer to the camera.

The family contends that Tony Stewart was angry, and intended to throw dirt on Kevin Jr to teach him a lesson, but accidentally hit him instead. This scenario does not match the video records or the scientific data that was gathered, tested, re-tested, and proved more than once. I cannot understand why the family refuses to believe these facts. By all accounts, the Ward family is successful. I don’t think they could have gotten there if they didn’t have some sort of intelligence. Why aren’t they using it?

There is no way anyone will be able to tell what Stewart was thinking as he came around the oval, but why would he be angry? What reason did he have “to teach Kevin Jr a lesson” like they claim? He wasn’t the one that got stalled or pinched into the wall. He was still in the race. Kevin Jr was pointing, and showing his anger the minute he got out of his car. If anyone was angry, it was him. Their assertions that Tony revved his engine or that he drove UP the track have already been disproved as far as the DA’s office and the grand jury are concerned. Continuing to make these allegations simply does not make any logical sense whatsoever to me.

Supporters of the “anger” theory point to helmet throwing, fighting, and angry rants by Tony caught on tape. Have they paid any attention to racing at all? Do they think Tony is the only racer to get angry? I’ve seen almost every single one of them throw, punch, push, spit, or cuss someone in the last 25 years. It is already been written in print that Kevin Jr threw wrenches and flipped people off to show his displeasure. Anyone remember mild-mannered Matt Kenseth when he “went all cops” on Brian Keslowski? (No one saw that one coming.) Anyone heard of "Harvicking"?

I recently came across an essay by an anonymous racer. I believe it gives coherent insight to this type of racing, how the cars work, what the track must have been like the night of the accident, and the point of view from an actual racer that knew Kevin Ward Jr http://web.a-znet.com/~dave1w/ward.htm  His personal observations and opinions are almost directly in line with the evidence that has been reported, and goes against the claims by the Ward family.

The Racing Community

Alcohol and drug use is prohibited in every racing league, and by every racetrack. Since the accident, there have been calls for random drug testing, but because of costs, it may not become a reality. Racing is a dangerous sport—and even more so when you factor in any sort of chemical that changes the makeup of someone’s body and alters the mind. Wouldn’t it be a giant step forward for racing if someone stepped up and made random drug testing possible for all leagues, and all tracks?

When I found this piece, I started to think how the lawsuit would impact the future:    http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/08/sprint_car_drivers_disappointe.html  

By many accounts, some of the sprint car racers are not happy about this suit. I believe it will only get worse if it is settled or makes it to the courtroom. The only way to stop it is to dismiss the case. Prolonging this tragedy, which was clearly a racing accident brought on by bad decisions made by Kevin Ward Jr, will only hurt the racing community that the Ward family has been a part of for so many years. I agree that it will hurt the reputation of the sport, which could cause fewer participants and less attendance at small tracks. Tracks may close, thus laying off individuals and slowing down the economy in those areas. If this happens, racers may not travel further to participate, and eventually, racers and racing as we know it could become endangered species. Is this what the Wards want to happen? Do they want to do this to their “racing family”? What about Kevin Sr? Does he want this to happen to his current race team?

As of now, most media, race fans and the racing world, believe that this is a frivolous lawsuit brought on by greed. http://frontstretch.com/2015/08/10/kickin-the-tires-ward-family-seeks-jackpot-justice-in-wrongful-death-case/   I don’t believe that. The only reason money comes into this is because the Wards are looking for any legal way to hurt Tony Stewart.

I do believe that this has turned into a personal vendetta for the Wards. Overwhelming grief can cause people to do irrational things.  http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/aug/10/ingram-lawsuit-against-tony-stewart-not-about-just/# 

If Kevin Jr was the person they claim he was, I don't believe that he would support his family in their vengeance. I don't believe that he would want his family, friends, neighbors, or his racing family to continually re-live this tragedy, or drag out their overwhelming sorrow.

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Kevin Ward Jr’s family should honor him by leaving a good and lasting legacy in his name--not fodder for tabloids and social media. They need to come to grips with this tragedy, and accept the fact that it was a racing accident. They should admit the mistakes made by their son, and use the respect they will gain by doing so to improve the sport of racing. Promote drug and alcohol testing at racetracks, track safety, or whatever Kevin Jr was fond of doing for other people, they should continue to work for him in his name. 

The whole racing world is watching the Ward family. In a few years, this accident will be forgotten, and those that did not know him, will forget Kevin Ward Jr's name. This is the part where the Wards can CHOOSE to make things better for the sport that Kevin loved and the family he left behind. This is the part where the Ward family can CHOOSE to make sure no one forgets their champion.

Which one will they CHOOSE?

As Dennis Miller says, “Of course this is just my opinion…. I could be wrong.”