NASCAR’s Tony Stewart Hits And Kills Kevin Ward Jr. During Sprint Car Race (VIDEO)

Warning: The video above contains footage of the impact that killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race on Saturday night.

NASCAR star Tony Stewart was involved in a tragic accident that led to the death of up-and-coming driver Kevin Ward Jr. Saturday night during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York. Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup champion, and a regular in the rowdy dirt events, drove into Ward who had climbed out of his car and onto the track after an accident on a prior lap, killing him.

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As the video from YouTube user Law Offices of John M. Phillips shows, Stewart in the #14 car drifts wide coming into turn two, forcing Ward in the #13 car closer to the wall. Ward’s car eventually comes into contact with the wall, causing it to spin and the caution flag to wave. Ward, 20, is then seen leaping out of his car but instead of heading away from the track he steps closer to the action and starts pointing towards Stewart on the next lap.

Stewart’s car appears to fishtail as it passes Ward and eventually runs over the youngster. Ward was rushed to a nearby hospital with “life-threatening injuries” but was pronounced dead later that night.

Police are looking at the accident as an “on-track crash investigation” rather than a criminal matter. Stewart is said to have been “very upset” over what had happened and sat out yesterday’s NASCAR event at Watkins Glen.

For more details on the circumstances surrounding the crash, head over toMotorsport.com for their in-depth report.

via Motor Authority