NASCAR Cup Series

Dale Jr. says Stewart saga leaves 'sickness' in pit of stomach

Published Sep. 26, 2014 1:00 p.m. ET

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Ontario County (N.Y.) District Attorney's Office announced a grand jury had cleared Tony Stewart from any criminal charges in the death of 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr.

Making his fifth NASACR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend since the tragic Aug. 9 incident in which Stewart's sprint car struck and killed Ward on a dirt track in a non-NASCAR event, Stewart spoke with the Associated Press Friday in his first interview since the incident. He said that what happened that night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park would stay with him for the remainder of his years.

Friday at Dover International Speedway, some of Stewart's long-time competitors and close friends offered their thoughts on the difficult situation facing one of their fellow drivers, and the sport as a whole.

"I didn't really pay super close attention to what was going on," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who indicated he wanted to let the investigation and grand jury process play out. "I feel sadness in my heart for the Ward family. But at the same time you get something in the pit of your stomach that is sort of this frightfulness or this fear for Tony and what he is having to deal with. Just having known him for all these years you can imagine that he is going through something super emotional and overwhelming by a huge measure.

"There is sort of a sickness or something in the pit of your stomach for what Tony is going through, but at the same time you never really forget that somebody was killed," he said. "There is a family with a hole in their heart and they have got to figure out a way to live out the rest of their lives with this always on their mind. It will have a huge effect on both sides for so many years. It's just super-duper unfortunate."

Earnhardt Jr.'s teammate and six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson echoed those thoughts and looked at the situation from both a professional and personal perspective. He also mentioned the toxicology report on Ward that showed the young driver had marijuana in his system at the time of the incident.

"First and foremost, I just don't want to ignore the fact that it was a massive tragedy that took place. The toxicology report is shocking to see," said Johnson. "From a friend perspective and worrying about Tony and understanding what he's gone through and how tough this has been on him, I'm sure there is some type of relief that it's kind of done, in that respect. But at the same time, coming back to the Ward family, even in the remarks I read from Tony, I'm sure he feels OK about not having this go any further and there being legal actions (as far as criminal charges). A civil suit is still out there and that can happen for any reason; to anybody in this room. But, the other side of it, still first and foremost on Tony's mind is that it was an accident and his heart is still out for the Ward family."

Following Wednesday's ruling, the Ward family indicated the focus should remain on Stewart. They said in a statement released by AP that "this matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to Kevin." Others, such as FOX Sports 1 legal analyst Rob Becker, have said that a potential civil suit against Stewart by the Ward family has been weakened by the revelation of the presence of marijuana in Ward's system at the time of the accident.

Johnson, however, urged everyone to remember that ultimately a life was lost and choosing sides is not beneficial to anyone.

"It's such a tragedy to have these details come out and people potentially forming sides, there's just no good in that," he said. "It's just been a terrible accident and we need to pay respect to Kevin Ward Jr., and I don't know how you go on, but just move forward."

For Stewart's friend and teammate Kevin Harvick, Wednesday's announcement provided a sense of relief amid the terrible tragedy and series of events that followed.

"Obviously you worry about your friend and the circumstances surrounding him and how things could be dictated for the rest of his life," said Harvick. "Just being around and knowing how much it's weighed on him and all the things that he has going on, for me personally, I'm happy for my friend. As far as the team, we all have jobs to do and have had to press through them. I'm overjoyed -- and obviously it was a devastating situation -- but I'm just happy that it's to a point where everybody knows what's happening in the future and we can start the process of trying to deal with it and move on to some sort of normalcy."

VIDEO: Investigators reveal that Kevin Ward Jr. had marijuana in his system at the time of the Aug. 9 incident involving Tony Stewart