Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Tony Stewart and the family of Kevin Ward Jr. have finalized a settlement of the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart.
Last week, former NASCAR Cup Series driver and Stewart-Haas Racing Cup Series team co-owner Tony Stewart and the family of Kevin Ward Jr. reportedly reached a settlement of the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart pending the approval of a judge.
The settlement between the 46-year-old Stewart, who retired from his role as a full-time Cup Series driver following the conclusion of the 2016 season after winning 49 races and three championships over the course of his 18-year career in the sport, and the family of the late Ward Jr., who was killed at the age of 20, has been finalized.
The two sides met today in U.S. District Court in Utica, New York in front of Judge David Hurd. While the case technically remains open, Judge Hurd stated that he would dismiss the case once all stipulations of the agreement had been met. The settlement’s terms were not disclosed to the public.
Here is what Pamela Ward, who is the mother of the late Ward Jr., had to say about the matter, according to USA Today.
"“I wanted to have a trial so he could be held accountable. That was my goal.”"
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Ward Jr. was killed on Saturday, August 9, 2014 during an Empire Super Sprints race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Canandaigua, New York. His sprint car made contact with Stewart’s sprint car, sending Ward Jr.’s car into the wall.
Ward Jr., who was later revealed to have been under the influence of marijuana when the crash occurred, was not happy with Stewart as a result of this crash, and he got out of his car shaking his fist before making his way down the race track.
As Stewart’s car approached Ward Jr. near the crash site, Ward Jr. continued to move down the track and shake his fist at Stewart. The right rear tire of Stewart’s car ended up striking Ward Jr., and it threw his body across the track. Ward Jr. died from blunt force trauma shortly after this incident.
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With a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit of the family of Kevin Ward Jr. against Tony Stewart having now been finalized, will this situation end up being put in the rearview mirror as far as the court of public opinion goes, or will we still continue to hear about it? It certainly will never truly go away, but this settlement may lessen the frequency of discussion about it.