Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway stands by Tony Stewart

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Authorities investigating a deadly accident involving race car drivers Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward, Jr. said Monday afternoon that they have found no facts to support criminal behavior.

Ward, Jr., 22, died Saturday after he got out of his smashed car and walked onto the dirt track, in what looked like an attempt to confront Stewart. The race car driver then ran over Ward. Investigators are now reviewing two videos of the crash and are looking for additional recordings and eyewitnesses. The sheriff also said he was not aware of any bad blood between Stewart and Ward.

WARNING: This footage contains material that some viewers may find disturbing due to explicit language and/or the graphic nature of the material.

YouTube video courtesy: Pete Lasow

The racing community in the Central Valley is also talking about the tragedy. Many believe it could have been avoided.

Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare is a sprint car track that is very similar to the one Stewart was racing on, only Tulare's is slightly smaller. The owner says he's watched the crash video over and over, and still comes to the same conclusion.

Steve Faria co-owns Thunderbowl Raceway, a 1/3-mile track that operates similar to the one in upstate New York where Stewart hit and killed a fellow driver over the weekend. The sprint car race tragedy made national headlines with some wondering if the popular NASCAR driver intentionally hit and killed Ward. Stewart had cut him off the lap prior, causing Ward to spin out of control.

Faria says the nighttime races aren't well lit and that Ward made a huge mistake leaving his car and walking onto the middle of the track. Faria said, "Wearing a black suit and helmet the first car dodged him, as you can see in the video. I think Tony had nowhere to go. I think he just ran over him and didn't know he was there, basically."

Former Visalia City Councilman and avid sprint car fan Don Sharp volunteers his time at Thunderbowl. The tracks race the same cars Stewart and Ward were driving. He says dirt track cars aren't as controllable as NASCAR ones. Sharp said, "The confined space in which they are sitting in is very difficult to see, especially if there's dust. I, myself, have almost been hit a few times in the pits in Tulare. I just have to really be careful."

Sharp says he got to know Stewart one summer back in 1995 when the two were playing in a charity golf tournament together. He says Stewart is known for being hot-headed but that doesn't mean he would intentionally hit another driver. Sharp said, "The kid shouldn't have gotten out of the car. So, it was just a horrible, tragic accident, and no, I don't think Tony did it on purpose."

Faria says sometimes drivers get out of their cars after a wreck but he's never seen one walk so close to the other cars, which can drive more than 100 miles an hour. He said, "We have clocked cars at 121 miles an hour going around here, so we average about 96-97 miles an hour around here, so it's really fast."

Race fans here believe the crash could change the way some drivers are insured.