Stewart-Ward investigation complete; D.A. to make statement next week

By Tom Jensen
Published

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will learn next week whether or not he will face criminal charges in the death of Kevin Ward Jr.

The Ontario County (N.Y) Office of the Sheriff announced Thursday that it has completed its investigation into Ward's death.

A statement issued by the Sheriff's Office Thursday afternoon said, "The entire thorough investigation, including a forensic video enhancement recently received from the New York State Police Laboratory in Albany, has been submitted to the Office of the Ontario County District for review. The District Attorney's Office, which has been meeting throughout the investigative process with members of the Sheriff's Office, will make a statement late next week advising what action will be taken regarding the investigation."

Ward, 20, died Aug. 9 after being struck by Stewart's sprint car at an Empire Super Sprints Series race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Upstate New York. Ward was racing closely with Stewart when he crashed into an outside wall.

Seconds after the crash, Ward got out of his car and ran onto the track, gesturing at Stewart as he came around under caution.  Stewart's right-rear tire appeared to strike Ward, who was thrown from Stewart's car. Ward died en route to the hospital. The Ontario County coroner ruled that the cause of death was blunt-force trauma.

In a press conference the day after the crash, Ontario County Sheriff Phillip C. Povero said, "At this moment there are no facts or evidence that would support a criminal charge or criminal intent." Povero reiterated that statement in another news conference the following day.

But on Aug. 12, Povero read a statement that seemed to back away from his earlier comments. "The investigation into the death of Kevin Ward, Jr., of Lewis County, N.Y., is ongoing and is expected to continue for at least another two weeks or more," Povero said. "Investigators continue to seek witnesses, gather evidence, and develop the racetrack crash reconstruction. However, it would be inappropriate to discuss details or findings of the investigation with the media at this time."

Stewart missed three the first three Sprint Cup races after Ward's death, returning at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Aug 29.

At Atlanta, a visibly distraught Stewart read from a prepared statement. He did not answer any questions.

"This is a sadness and a pain that I hope no one ever has to experience in their life," said Stewart. "With that being said, I know that the pain and the mourning that Kevin Ward's family and friends are experiencing is something that I can't possibly imagine."

Stewart thanked his friends, family and the NASCAR community for standing by him.

"I've taken the last couple weeks off out of respect for Kevin and his family and also to cope with the accident in my own way," he said. "It's given me the time to think about life and how easy it is to take it for granted. I miss my team, my teammates, and I miss being back in the race car. I think getting back in the car this week with my racing family will help me get through this difficult time."

Stewart said the ongoing investigation into the accident precluded him from answering any questions about it. "Emotionally, I'm not sure if I could answer them anyway," Stewart said.

Also, Stewart still could face civil litigation in the form of a wrongful death suit.