Family of Kevin Ward Jr. files wrongful death suit against Tony Stewart

Only twice had he broadly discussed the accident until Wednesday when he answered a few questions about the anniversary during a Speedway Childrens Charities event at Texas Motor Speedway. Stewart was not criminally charged, and Ward was found to have marijuana in his system at the time of his death, according to the Ontario County (N.Y.) district attorney. Stewart, who’s said Ward’s death was “100 percent an accident”, has not spoken publicly regarding the lawsuit.

Despite the bad memories now associated with Watkins Glen, Stewart is headed to the track with a positive attitude in what will be his first race there in three years.

Stewart and Ward bumped cars during the race and the collision sent Ward into an outside retaining wall while Stewart remained in the race. This was mainly another Empire Super Sprints show with a couple of thousand people sitting in the bleachers to see the sprint cars in addition to the many regulars who race there on a weekly basis and are more well-known to the locals. “You’d be proud of me”.

“Stewart could have easily acted reasonably and with prudence to avoid striking Ward, just as all other drivers had done as they passed Ward during the yellow caution flag”, they argue in the lawsuit. But not being back exactly the same as I was doesn’t mean I can’t become better in some ways. “I think there’s always positives that come out of every scenario”.

Perhaps coincidentally, or perhaps not considering all he’s gone through personally, professionally and physically, Stewart’s on-track performance has waned considerably over the past 24 months.

“[The crowd reception] was really good all the way around”, said Stewart, who missed the 2013 race at Watkins Glen because of a broken leg suffered in a sprint-car accident and then the 2014 race because of the tragedy.

“Yeah, real good all the way around”, Stewart said of the weekend.

“The whole season has been frustrating”, Stewart said. We lost a young driver that had a lot of talent’.

“You can just feel it, you know”, explained one fan, a local resident of Canandaigua.

Stewart, though, is “optimistic” that a return to form will soon occur. He finished last after losing the rear gear on his No. 14 Chevrolet.

“These three road courses are going to be a wild card”, Smith told the NASCAR Wire Service before practice for Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN).