What Next For Tony Stewart?

I know it's a little strange to see a story coming from me in regards to NASCAR, but in this case it has to be talked about. This past Saturday, as most people know, Tony Stewart was involved in a fatal accident at a race track in upstate New York. Stewart bumped into 20-year old Kevin Ward Jr's car, causing Ward to crash into the wall, causing him to spin out and blow a tire. Ward then got out of his car and began walking along the track, gesturing as Stewart's car neared. As he got near the car, Stewart back tire ran into Ward, sending him flying about fifty feet, killing him upon impact. Ward, who had been racing Sprint cars since 2010, was pronounced dead an hour later by doctors at a nearby hospital. So now this leads to a big question........what happens next for Tony Stewart?

Before we get into what happens to Stewart, lets take a look at the situation as a whole. Honestly, I have this gut feeling that none of this was really Stewart's fault. I do feel sorry for Ward and his family, and quite honestly how could you not, but this was, to a degree, his own fault. He was upset that he was pushed into the wall by Stewart during the race. I get that, it happens to everybody in sports. Emotions run high during a sports event, athletes do get emotional, its part of the game. At the same time, you have to know when to control your emotions. You have to realize, if your Ward, your wearing a dark racing suite and a dark helmet on a poorly lit track. The cars are flying by at about 45-50 MPH, and your walking into the path of the car on the right side of the car, which is hard for a driver to see on. So it made things tougher for Stewart to even be able to see him. So to a degree Ward, may he rest in peace, is at fault here for the accident. He let his emotions get the better of him and it ultimately cost him his life at just twenty years old.

Now as far as Tony Stewart is concerned, he might not get out of this incident so easy. To this point in the investigation, there is no clear cut evidence that Stewart ran this kid down on purpose. During his career, Stewart has been known as a hot head, getting involved in incidents both on and off the track, so this might not come as a surprise to some. But I'm one of those few who actually believes that no criminal charges will come of this. Will something happen, as far as legal ramifications are concerned? No way of knowing that at this point. The way i look at it I don't think there is enough evidence to bring this up as a possible murder trial, so in that regards Stewart has nothing to worry about. I do, however, feel that he isn't going to get away totally clean. He will have to face some sort of penalty, either banishment from the track or a heavy fine or both.

Finally there needs to be a way to prevent this type of incident from happening again on this or any other track.  I recommend three possible ideas for how to prevent this kind of stuff from happening. Two ways involve improvements of sight lines for the drivers. One way would be to light the track a lot better, because if you have seen the video you knew how poorly lit the track was. Another idea would be to put the drivers in any bright colored, reflective suits, so that way drivers can make it easier to see them if somehow they make it out on to the track. Final idea involves the drivers. If somebody is involved in a crash that gets them knocked off the track, they should be prohibited from entering the track while cars are driving by. A few suggestions would be to install something along the lines of a shock collar, something to keep them from getting onto the track. Also there should be a way to keep the driver locked into their car until it is safe to get them out of the car and back towards the infield without something happening to them crossing the track.

These ideas are not perfect, but at least it's a starting point for how to prevent something like this from happening again. As far as Tony Stewart is concerned, only time is going to tell what happens with his case.