iNSIDE SCOOP: Stewart Back, But Not Whole

Today, Tony Stewart talked publicly for the first time since Aug. 9, when the sprint car he was driving struck and killed a 20-year-old racer named Kevin Ward Jr.

It might have been too soon, to be honest.

He was still not the Tony Stewart we’re used to seeing, and still not all that composed. Why would he be? This has been hell for him to deal with, and while some might snicker and say “what does he have to be distraught over?” it is evident to me that he is, and it’s real. 

I’m not going to get into the…foolishness that has been posted ad nauseum since the accident occurred. I have strong feelings about that all in and of itself. Suffice it to say, you’ll read some absolute balderdash in the coming days.

For now, it’s about Stewart’s journey from the darkness of the immediate aftermath to today, and there have obviously been some pretty bleak miles logged on that journey. 

“This has been one of the toughest tragedies I've ever had to deal with both professionally and personally,” he said. “This is something that will definitely affect my life forever. This is a sadness and a pain that I hope no one ever has to experience in their life.

“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.

“I want Kevin's father, Kevin Sr., and his mother Pam, and his sisters Christi, Kayla, Katelyn, to know that every day I'm thinking about them and praying for them.

“The racing community is a large family, as you guys know. Everyone's saddened with this tragedy.

“I want to thank all my friends and family for their support through this tough emotional time, and the support from the NASCAR community, my partners, all of our employees, it's been overwhelming.”

Stewart is a racer. He’s been one for 35 years.  People die in race cars. Always have, always will. But, I’m not aware of any accident he’s ever been in where someone died. The whole situation is screwed up. Had Ward stayed in his car and not come down to confront Stewart, we might not be talking about any of this.

That’s a hard shot to handle, even for a guy who has seen friends and rivals not make it out of a crash. A car he was driving struck and killed another human being, one that in a way represented everything he was when he was 20 years old. For people who think he's just a piece of work, who cares for no one but himself...get over yourselves. When life is taken in whatever circumstances, it's a blow. This one, in particular, is a savage one.

“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,” Stewart 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. I miss being back in the race car. I think being back in the car this week with my racing family will help me get through this difficult time.

“I also understand that all of you have many questions and want a lot of answers, however I need to respect the ongoing investigation process and cannot answer and address the questions at this time. Emotionally I'm not sure if I could answer them anyway.

“We're here to race this weekend, and I appreciate your respect. There will be a day when I can sit here and answer the questions.”

When that day comes, we’ll see what happens. For now, it’s good to have him back on the track and back in the sport, even if he's still not 100 percent.