A fellow driver is coming to NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s defense.

Cory Sparks, who was competing in the race where Tony Stewart struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr., told the Rochester Warner Cable News that from his perspective, Stewart did everything he could do to avoid Ward.

“From what I saw, Tony did everything in his power to turn down away from Kevin to avoid him,” Sparks told the Rochester news station on Wednesday.

At the time of the collision, Sparks was a few cars behind Stewart. He also said the video that has been going around does not tell the whole story.

“People say that they heard the engine rev up and he gassed it,” Sparks said. “In a Sprint Car, the only way to steer is you steer with the rear wheels as much as you do the steering wheel. In my opinion, what he did was he gassed it to turn down away from him.”

Sparks also stated that visibility in a Sprint Car, especially from the right side, isn’t great.

“Kevin was wearing all black. A black fire suit, a black helmet, which in normal situations isn’t a big deal, they are to go with the colors of your car. It was a tragic accident and a mistake was made,” Sparks said.

Stewart did not race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Watkins Glen last week, and it is unclear if he will race at Michigan this week.

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