Danica Patrick: Tony Stewart 'deserves chance to move on'
Tony Stewart's clearance of criminal charges in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. was a relief to Danica Patrick, who saw uncertainty take a toll on her NASCAR teammate.
"These things are exhausting, they are taxing, and they're stressful, so I'm happy that Tony can now close that chapter," Patrick told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview Wednesday morning. "It's still going to be really difficult for him. I know that. As he has said plenty of times, a day doesn't go by that you don't think about it. It'll be that way forever. So he's going to always carry it. I feel like he deserves this chance to move on, too, and part of it is getting past the legal process. It's a terrible, unfortunate, tragic accident, and I'm sure it just takes time. But in the beginning, with all the things that had to go on with that process, there were bigger hurdles than just time.
"He's a great person. He has a huge heart. I feel like, over time, people will see that if they don't already. For people who really know him, they know how he is."
A grand jury in Ontario County, N.Y., decided last week not to indict Stewart after his sprint car struck and killed Ward in an Aug. 9 race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.
The three-time champion still could face a civil suit from Ward's family, which hinted at further action in a statement after the grand jury's decision. In an open letter read to USA TODAY Sports, Ward's aunt, Wendi, questioned why the presence of marijuana in Kevin Ward Jr.'s system was an issue and wrote, "it seems to me the wrong man was on trial."
In the first news conference since Ward's death in which he took questions, Stewart said Monday he regretted racing that night, and that the incident "will never go away."
He also described a somewhat reclusive existence in which he spent race weekends either in his motorhome or race car and rarely left his home otherwise. "It's just an awkward feeling," he said. "I think now I'll start doing some more things. I've got a lot of friends who have been supportive through this entire thing, and there are a lot of people that have shown how much they cared, and it would be nice to go and visit and talk to those people again."
Patrick said she has a tight enough bond with the driver-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing to get a good read on how to comfort him.
"As far as what questions to ask him, what not to ask, when to bring it up and when not to, the good thing is we're close enough and have known each other long enough, you can just ask that," Patrick said. "You can ask a question, and say, 'Look, if you don't want to talk about it we don't have to talk about it.' It's pretty simple with Tony. He's pretty open book. He's just honest. I can relate to that."
Patrick spent Wednesday in New York promoting the third consecutive October in which she will race a pink Chevrolet in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Patrick's No. 10 will carry the special paint scheme for races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway. Anyone who donates at least $10 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation by noon Thursday through the GoDaddy website can provide the name of someone impacted by the disease that will appear on Patrick's car at Martinsville.
GoDaddy is donating $50,000 to breast cancer research. Patrick said the website domain company that targets small businesses also is highlighting its commitment to women (who account for 58% of small business owners) by featuring the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program that encourages women to consider technology careers.
"The things that GoDaddy does to help a good cause are so cool, and each year they've done more and more," she said. "They're doing a good job of giving back to a huge part of its customer base."
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