14 DAY TRIAL // Although he was cheered on by thousands of fans from the stands on his return race in the Oral-B USA 500 in Atlanta, Georgia, Tony Stewart failed to cross the finish line and thus proved that he didn't fully recover from the shock of running over fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. and subsequently killing him.
Last week, Stewart made the announcement that he was returning to racing after a 3-week absence during which he took the time to grieve. Yesterday, fans were looking forward to seeing him race, or, at least, some of the fans did, but Tony failed to impress. ESPN reports that Tony hit the wall twice and this caused significant damages to his car that left him unable to complete the race. The events unfolded quickly: during lap 122, Tony was pushed into the wall by another driver, which caused the right side of his car to crumple.
The finishing blow came in lap 170, when the driver slammed into the wall yet again, only this time he was left unable to continue the race, as he had a tire blowout. Tony was disappointed at the outcome and reportedly radioed his team waiting for him back at the pits, “Sorry guys, you deserve better than this.”
After the race was over, Stewart refused to talk to the media, so he skipped on taking part in the press conference. In his Friday announcement that he was returning to racing, Tony told the press that “this is something that will affect my life forever. This is a sadness and pain I hope no one ever has to experience in their life,” referring to the accidental killing of driver Kevin Ward. Jr. during a race on August 9.
The driver took some time away from the media right after that, with the press calling it a “going into hiding” as to avoid answering uncomfortable questions, but the driver later revealed that he went into mourning.
The incident that took place on August 9 and that saw the young driver Kevin Ward Jr. lose his life after he stepped out on the track to give Stewart a piece of his mind is still under investigation from police. Stewart hasn't faced any criminal charges because it's hard to show that he had criminal intent at the time his racing car hit Ward and projected him on the side of the track.