An Open Letter to the Ward Family

I know it's been a difficult six weeks since the accident that claimed your son, nephew, and friend Kevin Ward, Jr. It has been for all of us because the sport of auto racing – more than any other – is a fraternity and a family. We have all grieved for you, worried about you, and many of us have prayed for you.

We care. We really and truly do. We wish more than anything that we could turn back the hands of time to August 9 and have a re-do. But that cannot happen.

The district attorney and the local police have come to a just conclusion. No criminal behavior occurred to cause the accident that took Kevin's life. I will say it again. Tony Stewart is not a criminal. He did not kill Kevin Ward, Jr.

So what are your next steps?

Grieve privately. When you do speak publicly, share positive stories of the young man we all lost too soon. Do not make excuses. Do not cast blame. This story should not be fought in the court of public opinion. It has been, and right now you're not doing well. In fact, the positive memories you want everyone to have of Kevin are being tarnished by your attacks on Tony, a person who a thorough investigation found did nothing wrong but still found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and whose life is now irrevocably altered. 

From all accounts, Kevin was a good kid. It doesn't matter to me that he smoked marijuana. That's his choice and I don't believe smoking pot necessarily makes one a bad person. You're 100-percent correct; it is legal in some states and it may be legal in more in the very near future. But it's not legal in New York, where this accident happened, and it will never be legal to smoke up while operating a motor vehicle. And it certainly should never happen before operating a racecar. He made a bad choice in smoking it and driving a racecar. Even if he smoked it “three months earlier,” he was driving a racecar three months earlier and again, that's just not a wise decision. We will never know what role, if any, marijuana played in Kevin's death. Life is like that sometimes, it leaves us with many unanswered questions.

Now comes the tough part: do not cast blame.

Tony Stewart drove the car that struck Kevin. That is undeniable. But this accident has been reviewed, reconstructed and dissected by professionals that know a lot more about motor vehicle crashes than we do. They found no criminal intent. Thousands of people have watched it online and saw the same thing. Tony simply did not see Kevin until it was too late. Why? There was a car in front of him. There is that huge wing on top that obscures vision. 

And, most critically, Kevin wasn't just standing still. No, he was actively moving into the path of a moving vehicle. Look where Kevin's car came to rest, and look where Tony's car was. That's not just a few feet. Kevin walked counter-course (against traffic) and came more than halfway down the banking. As for the speed, it's hard to say but Tony was certainly not at racing speed. He was going no slower nor no faster than the car in front of him or the car behind him. Maybe the field wasn't down to "pace car speed", but Tony was not still at race pace, not by a long shot.

Tony and Kevin raced cleanly into turn one that fateful night. Tony made a slide job for the position, a move that is made thousands of times a year all across the country. Once Tony cleared him, Kevin got into the loose stuff and crashed. Tony had no knowledge of this since there are no spotters to relay that information and there are no rearview mirrors in sprint cars. All he knew is the caution was out; he had no idea the kid he raced with into that turn had crashed and furthermore, he had no idea he was angry.

Tony had never spoken to Kevin. So why would Tony be angry with him? Why would he need to “intimidate” him? Why would he need to “deliver a message”? That answer is simple: he wouldn't. They had no relationship, no history. So there is no rational reason or explanation at all for that line of thinking

I feel your grief. Anyone who has lost a loved one before their time knows what you're going through on some level. You're sad. You're angry. You want answers. And you want accountability.

Unfortunately, life simply doesn't work out that way. The only person accountable for what happened to Kevin Ward, Jr is no longer here to explain what happened. He made a series of bad decisions in a short period of time, and the end result is he is no longer here with us. 

That breaks my heart.

Again, none of this takes away from the person Kevin Ward, Jr. was. It shouldn't tarnish his memory. I didn't know him, but I wish I did. He sounds like a great kid who was a lot of fun, and we are all the poorer for losing him.