What Happened While I Was On My Summer Vacation, Part Two: Tragedy on the Track

You could not escape the story this weekend.

NASCAR star Tony Stewart, moonlighting on the short tracks of New York before Sunday's race in Watkins Glen, was part of a fatal accident, the accident killing short-track racer Kevin Ward Jr. Saturday night.

There was a spin-out and a caution, Ward's vehicle being disabled.

He got out, pointed at Stewart, and then was struck.

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I saw the video once of what appeared to be the incident, and I really only have two questions:

• Could Stewart have stopped (even if it meant him getting swung at by Ward)?
• Did Stewart have enough room to go around?

If both of those questions are answered in the negative, then Stewart doesn't really have fault.  It was only a caution, and not a red flag.

And for those who are saying "We need to discipline those who walk on the track.", you forget why you have a televised NASCAR in the first place:  1979 Daytona 500, the first NASCAR race televised.  Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, last lap fight.

However, if this could have been preventable by Stewart and he let his reputation as a hot-head get in the way, he should be done in racing. Owning, driving, everything.

That's why I'm glad to see that, as of this writing, the investigation is still ongoing.