NASCAR's Tony Stewart Speaks Out On Kevin Ward Jr. Death: "I Don't Know If It'll Ever Be Normal Again" - Sprint Cup Series Champion Has No Plans To Retire

Tony Stewart spoke to reporters at a press conference for the first time on Monday (Sept. 29) about where he stands following the Aug. 9 on-track death of 20-year-old sprint car racer Kevin Ward, Jr. 

Although it was Stewart whose car hit and killed Ward, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion was cleared last week from facing any charges in the case.

"I tried to do my best to insulate myself but I finally started to read what's out there," he told reporters. "Picking sides doesn't solve or fix anything. It's a waste of time, instead of honoring a young man with a promising sprint car career. It's like watching people throw darts at each other. It's dividing people that on a daily basis would help each other. At the end of the day, it won't help people."

Stewart told the media that he is hopeful his life will go back to being as normal as possible, but that he has been forever changed by the incident.

"I don't know if it'll ever be normal again," Stewart said. "Before the accident, a day would fly by me. Now a day seems like two, three days. Like the batteries are running low on the clock."

And that's because Stewart can't seem to take his mind off of Ward and the events surrounding his death. 

"I wish I could say it was once a day, but it's not; I think about it a lot every day," he said. "It's not something that goes away. It will never go away. It's always going to be part of my life the rest of my life." 

As for that fateful day in August, he would probably go back and do it over again if he had the chance.

"I do this stuff and I go run those cars to have a good time and that's all I wanted to do that night," he said. "I do it to have fun, and it didn't end up being fun that night."

One of the things that helps to keep him grounded is racing, so giving up the sport is not an option. 

"This is what I've done all my life. This is what I've done for 36 years, and I wouldn't change anything about it. I love driving racecars. I think it might change right now as far as how much of it and what I do, but there was never a thought in my head about stopping. That would take the life out of me."