What a tragic turn of events for Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. and their families and fans. It was tragic, and an accident.

I can't help but be shocked at the implication of many on the internet that somehow Stewart meant to hit Ward, or intentionally hurt him. The accusation would have to take an awful lot for granted that just can't be true based on what a professional driver does for a living.

In the course of their competition, Stewart and Ward tried to hit the same line at the same time. Two cars in the space made for one. Stewart has been on the losing side of this many times, as Ward found himself Saturday night.

Why Ward was out of his car, on the track, is a question only he may have been able to answer. But I can bet that no other racer expected that anybody would be walking around a live track. But there he was, walking towards and pointing at cars running towards him. A split-second decision by Stewart killed him.

How many options did Stewart have at his disposal? Probably about 10 if you're generous and unrealistic, each one with the same possible result. Take the high-line away from ward? Run into the other driver doing the same thing, and clip Ward with your left side. Brake? Slide right into him, probably land on him. Go Low? Well, that didn't work out either.

Point is no driver is supposed to have to make that decision. Every driver trains in the safety of their sport, and while Stewart has been really, really mad before I'm not going to believe that he tried to use his car to make contact with a driver.

This is the worst/best example of just how dangerous this sport is, and why composure is an absolute commodity.  Without it, It is a very bad day at work.

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