The NASCAR and sprint car racing community is in shock and grieving the loss of driver Kevin Ward Jr., who was struck and killed by Tony Stewart's car during a race Saturday in New York.
Stewart's connections to the Miami Valley include being the owner of the popular Eldora Speedway dirt track in Darke County, where he frequently raced as an amateur.
Eldora General Manager Roger Slack said Sunday in an interview with WHIO's Andy Sedlak: "Everybody here at the Speedway is thinking about the Ward family."
In an email, Slack went on to say the "Eldora Speedway sends our deepest condolences to the Ward family, their friends and the Central NY racing community."
About 12 hours after the fatal incident, Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, opted out of Sunday's Watkins Glen race and issued the following statement:
"There aren't words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr. It's a very emotional time for all involved, and it is the reason I've decided not to participate in today's race at Watkins Glen. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone affected by this tragedy."
Mansfield resident and Stewart fan Dan Perry stopped by the Speedway on Sunday to show his family the raceway he goes to on weekends.
Perry said Stewart is a fan-friendly NASCAR driver whom he's seen at the Darke County track at least six times in the last three years.
He said he was surprised to hear about the fatal accident.
"As far as Tony Stewart in the past, I think he's a great guy," Perry said. "Anytime anybody gets hurt in racing, that's hard. That's tough ... I'm hoping it's something that he was coming around and didn't see him. I just can't believe he would do something like that on purpose."
Video of the incident shows Ward getting out of his sprint car after it hit the wall from an apparent bump by Stewart's car.
The video shows Ward getting hit by Stewart's vehicle as he was walking on the track pointing at Stewart's car as it approached.
Born in Columbus, Ind., Stewart bought the Eldora in 2004 from legendary founder and promoter Earl Baltes.
Under his ownership, the Eldora has become a premiere dirt track facility, attracting NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series and capacity crowds on weekends.
