A devastating accident happened during a none NASCAR sanctioned event. Former NASCAR racing Champion Tony Stewart didn't expect what had just happened during last Saturday's race event at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York, US.

According to ESPN.com, Stewart first bumped the victim's car and knocked it out. During his next round at the track, Stewart then struck the driver right after the victim left him car in order to confront him in the dirt track. The victim is identified as Kevin Ward Jr.

Emergency workers were seen rushing to the incident. The track then cancelled the remainder of the sprint slate within five minutes while the Ontario County Sheriff's Department was on site to investigate further but had said that they do not see the situation as a criminal offense.

The incident took place the night before Stewart was scheduled to compete at nearby Watkins Glen International in the Cheez-It 355 for the Cup Series.

On Sunday, Stewart issued an official statement expressing his deepest sympathy over the incident. He said "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, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy."

According to Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero "This is right now being investigated as an on-track crash and I don't want to infer that there are criminal charges pending. When the investigation is completed, we will sit down with the district attorney and review it. But I want to make it very clear: there are no criminal charges pending at this time."

Povero said that Stewart was clearly shaken over the accident and was fully cooperative during the investigation.

He also said that "At this very moment, there are no facts in hand that would substantiate or support a criminal charge, or indicate criminal intent on the part of any individual."

Michael McCann, an expert on sports law, observed that Stewart may face a variety of significant legal and financial consequences as a result of the incident.