Stewart struck a fellow driver who had gotten out of his car after a collision. (Source: Kim Phillips/Wikicommons)CANANDAIGUA, NY (RNN) – Reports stated that Tony Stewart, a NASCAR three-time champion driver, has pulled out of Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen after he struck and killed a fellow driver on Saturday night.
Kevin Ward, Jr., 20, was struck at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday while walking on a dirt track at Canandaigua Motorsports Park after a collision.
NASCAR.com reported that the race was part of the Empire Super Sprints series.
WHAM13 in Rochester, NY,
reported Sunday morning that Ward was dead on arrival to the hospital and that his parents were in the audience when the fatal incident occurred.
Race officials suspended the race after the incident.
The Ontario County Sheriff's Department said early Sunday morning that they had questioned and released Stewart, and that the incident wasn't currently a criminal investigation.
Authorities reported that Stewart was cooperating fully with the investigation.
A representative for Stewart extended Stewart's regrets about what he termed a "tragic accident."
In a statement, NASCAR said their thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fellow competitors of Kevin Ward Jr.
“We support Tony Stewart’s decision to miss today’s race and we will continue to respect the process and timeline of the local authorities and will continue to monitor this situation moving forward.”
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