Tony Stewart: Kevin Ward Jr.‘s death ‘will affect me forever’

An obviously emotional and despondent Tony Stewart spoke publicly for the first time since the Aug. 9 death of Kevin Ward Jr. on Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Reading a prepared statement his team said was handwritten by Stewart himself, the three-time NASCAR champion spoke for nearly three minutes against a plain white backdrop devoid of the customary sponsor logos. He called the circumstances surrounding the death of Ward, 20, and his involvement one of the toughest things he has ever experienced.

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

Ward was killed when Tony Stewart’s sprint car struck him during a race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York. Following a run-in between the two, Ward was on foot and approaching Stewart’s car under caution when the right-rear wheel of Stewart’s car hit him.

An investigation is ongoing and the Ontario County (N.Y.) sheriff’s office said Friday it will be “at least” two weeks before its investigation is concluded.

Though he did send a card and flowers to the family, Stewart has not spoken directly to the Ward family and otherwise has been mindful of the situation and circumstances.

“(Tony’s) been very respectful of them and their time to grieve,” Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Brett Frood said. “I do know that it’s important for Tony to spend time with the family. I do believe that will happen in the appropriate time.”

Because an investigation is still ongoing, Stewart did not take questions Friday, but addressed each member of Ward’s family individually.

“This is a sadness and a pain I hope no one ever has to experience in their life,” Stewart said. “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., his mother Pam and his sisters Christi, Kayla and Katelyn to know that every day I’m thinking about and praying for them.”

This weekend marks Stewart’s return to competition since the incident. Stewart has sat out three consecutive Sprint Cup races dealing with grief and was not emotionally ready to race.

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

The decision to return was solely Stewart’s, Frood said. Accompanying Stewart were several family members, including his mom, dad, sister, niece and nephew, at Atlanta. As Stewart prepared to climb into his car for the first of two practice sessions, several drivers including Aric Almirola and Kurt Busch approached Stewart to show their support.

“It’s part of the healing process of being with his family that he’s been with since 1999, knowing that these people are going to help him get through this,” Frood said. “I think that’s one side of it.

“Him being in the racecar right now is about him getting through what has been a very emotional two weeks, what his next step is in coping with this. There’s been a great deal of empathy and sympathy for that family and what they’re going through. For Tony, it’s just been extremely emotional. This is what is going to help him.”

The entirety of Stewart’s statement is below:

”This is been one of the toughest tragedies I’ve ever had to deal with, both professionally and personally. This is something that will definitely affect my life forever. This is a sadness and a pain I hope no one ever has to experience in their life. 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., his mother Pam and his sisters Christi, Kayla and Katelyn to know that every day I’m thinking about and praying for them.

”The racing community is a large family. As you guys know and 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 has been overwhelming. 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. 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, and I miss being back in the race car. I think that 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. But 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. I’m here to race this weekend and I appreciate your respect and there will be a day when I can sit here and answer the questions. Thank you.”