Regulation Changes Considered After Deadly Sprint Car Accident

By Alejandra Guillen
Published: Monday, August 11, 2014 - 3:41pm

A sprint car race accident over the weekend that caused the death of a driver has racetrack operators considering changes to their regulations.

Sprint car driver Kevin Ward, Jr. was struck and killed by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart after Ward stepped out of his car and onto the dirt track during a sprint car race on Saturday night in New York.

Greg Burgess of the Cocopah Speedway in Somerton says they will be reevaluating their current procedures for these kinds of incidents at their track.

“The current rule and the rule of thumb, I believe, at every raceway is that drivers are to stay in their car unless there is fire involved or unless they are on their side or upside-down," Burgess said.

According to Burgess, there are about half a dozen sprint car tracks in Arizona.