This will be my one and only post(rant) on the Tony Stewart/Kevin Ward Jr. incident. As a race official, that night the worst night I have ever had. Between witnessing it, seeing the aftermath, my phone blowing up within minutes as people from all over were looking for answers, the look on my fellow officials faces when we realized we lost one of our own, and the somber ride home with some of my ESS colleagues. The following week was no better, knowing how I felt, I could not even come close to knowing what the Ward family was feeling and my thoughts kept going to them, especially since I have a 20 year old son of my own. It was a week of endless voicemails from the national media looking for another angle, paying our respects to Kevin, and more endless voicemails. The whole week was spent thinking of the Ward family, of Brian(one of our ESS officials) who was mere seconds away from possibly stopping the incident and some reflection of my own. When I realized that I may have been the last voice Kevin has heard, I struggled with that for a long time. The following Friday, it all began to turn around. We were at Brewerton for our first event since the tragedy and despite the tears, we got through it. The support from the fans, drivers, track officials, and the Ward family was incredible. We went from mourning to celebrating the young mans life. Testifying before the grand jury reopened the wounds that I thought had closed. Seeing some of the people that I hadnt seen since that night, answering questions, and driving by Canandaigua Speedway for the first time since the incident brought back all the feelings that I had hoped were long gone. I was hoping once the decision was released that it would be over, but unfortunately, things have gotten worse especially with the release of the toxicology report. Public opinion has now swayed from one side to another. All I ask is that dont pass judgement. People my be surprised as to the extent or widespread marijuana use is in all levels of local sports, not just racing. This revelation will haunt short track racing for a long time. The entire Ward family and Tony Stewart dont deserve scrutiny and everyone has skeletons in their closet, so to speak. My thoughts continue to be with the Ward family, Tony Stewart, and everyone else who were affected by this tragedy.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:50:50 +0000