Tragedy on the raceway: Keep a cool head
Published 7:00 am Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Nascar is a beloved sport here in Pearl River County.
Trucks and cars throughout the county are decorated with stickers and memorabilia featuring favorite drivers.
Sundays are designated race days.
NASCAR champion Tony Stewart might be a favorite of fans.
This past Sunday’s sprint car race was marked with tragedy, as sometimes occurs with sports involving vehicles moving at high speeds.
After a collision with Stewart, Kevin Ward Jr. got out of his car and appeared to walk onto a busy track full of speeding vehicles to allegedly confront Stewart.
Stewart hit Ward and according to video and witness account, Ward was sucked underneath the car and thrown in the air before landing on his back.
Racing vehicles is a dangerous sport in itself.
Jumping out of one and walking out on to the busy track is not good thinking.
Ward’s temper was probably reaching a boiling point and he probably wasn’t thinking about what could go wrong.
Let this be a lesson to other drivers.
Racing is a sport where a collision and accident can happen at any time.
The drivers entering these races should be fully aware of the dangers that could happen.
Losing one’s cool and forgetting the dangers will ultimately result in a tragedy.
It’s best to keep a level head while racing cars and concentrate on your surroundings.
Stewart will no doubt probably remember this event for the rest of his life.
For young men or women wishing to enter this sport, remember always to be safe, keep those tempers in check and keep an eye on surroundings.
It’s just like driving a car on the highway, one always has to watch out for the other person and obstacles.
Our thoughts are with the Ward family as they grieve the loss of one so young.