NASCAR News: Tony Stewart Exonerated By Grand Jury, Kevin Ward Jr. Under the Influence of Marijuana During Crash

Sprint racer Tony Stewart can finally sleep soundly at night.

The Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo announced Wednesday that a grand jury has cleared Stewart of any charges on the death of Kevin Ward Jr. Ward was struck by Stewart's car during a sprint race in upstate New York, Aug. 9.

There were two things that played into the absolution of the famed NASCAR driver: Stewart was not driving erratically and Ward Jr. was under the influence of marijuana.

Jury finds Stewart's driving proper

During the press conference, Tantillo said that the jury viewed two videos of the fatal crash, one from a fan and the other from a tiny track in New York hamlet, both of which were enhanced. He relayed that both videos were proof that Stewart did not show "aberrational driving."

"The videos did not demonstrate any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart," District Attorney Michael Tantillo said Wednesday at a news conference.

The grand jury did not exactly pinpoint who was the culprit for the said crash as its job was to only determine if Stewart was to be charged with manslaughter in the second degree of be criminally implicated for negligent homicide. Now that he has been freed of both, Stewart can move on with his life and racing career.

"This has been the toughest and most emotional experience of my life, and it will stay with me forever," Stewart said Wednesday per USA Today Sports.

Kevin Ward Jr.'s toxicology reports show marijuana in his blood stream

While the jury did not exactly pinpoint who was responsible for the crash, the revelation that Ward Jr.'s toxicology report helped in the exoneration of Stewart. The Ontario County prosecutor also revealed that the deceased driver was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the incident. His tests said that he was driving at a level that was "enough to impair," added Tantillo.

In essence, Tantillo was saying that Ward Jr. had no business driving a car, more so, a racing machine that fateful night. While he did not directly attribute the tests to the crash, the prosecutor was implying that Ward Jr. had no business going out of his car during an ongoing race under the said state of mind. Especially that the track was poorly lit and Ward Jr. was wearing a darker shade of suit.

"I'm sure, from their deliberations and discussions, that the fact that Kevin Ward was observed running basically down two-thirds of the track into a hot track, into the middle of other cars that still were racing, played a big, big factor in their decision," Tantillo said.

Still, Ward Jr.'s family is still at disbelief on the decision of the grand jury. They stressed that focus should still be on the reckless driving of Stewart, who has a history of hotheadedness and recklessness.