It was enough that NASCAR had to brace itself for Tony Stewart's return to racing after his car hit and killed Kevin Ward Jr., in an Aug. 9 dirt-track race at Cananda Motorsports Park in New York, but now it must brace itself for the possibility of Stewart winning Sunday's Oral-B USA 500.
USA TODAY Sports reported Saturday that Stewart's No. 14 car was the 18th fastest among the qualifiers on Saturday afternoon for Sunday's race. During the earlier practice Saturday, Stewart was 15th.
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According to USA TODAY Sports, Stewart's speeds place him well within the range of drivers who could challenge for the win Sunday night, when he will start 12th.
Stewart made the controversial decision to return to the NASCAR circuit just three weeks removed from the tragedy in which his race car struck and killed dirt-track racer Ward.
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Friends of Ward have insinuated that the tragedy was the resort an act of anger from Stewart in which he revved the throttle as he passed Ward. The move made the car Stewart was driving fishtailed to the right and into Ward, which ended his life.
USA TODAY Sports added that Stewart remains under investigation for his role in the tragedy for at least another two weeks.
He has not raced since the Aug. 9 tragedy, skipping three NASCAR events.
Some members of Ward's family and friends believe Stewart should be behind bars for his actions, but NASCAR has found no reason as of yet to withhold him from racing this week.
A win tonight would add to the controversy surrounding Stewart because he would qualify for the Chase for the Cup without having made an attempt to qualify prior to winning one of the two races. The rule was originally designed for the benefit of a racer who got hurt and missed races because of the medical condition.
Do you think a Tony Stewart win in one or two NASCAR events to close the regular season will add to or lessen the furor over the tragedy in which his car struck and killed Michael Carlyle? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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