American racing driver dies after being hit by Tony Stewart's car

An American racing driver has died after being struck by the car of three-time Nascar champion Tony Stewart during a local sprint race in New York.

Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr, 20, had collided on the previous lap of the dirt track race on Saturday.

Ward then climbed out of his car and was on track confronting Stewart when he was struck by the American's car.

Stewart, 43, has cancelled plans to compete in Sunday's Nascar Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen.

"We were talking last night and through the night, and we gave Tony some time to sleep it," said his team manager Greg Zipadelli.

"This morning he feels strongly that this is the right thing to do. We at Stewart-Haas Racing strongly support it and agree with it."

The American, who frequently competes at local sprint car events, was questioned by police and released.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said Stewart was "fully cooperative" and appeared "very upset".

Stewart made his debut in the Sprint Cup, Nascar's premier stock car series, in 1999 and since secured 48 wins in 542 starts

He added: "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."

The sheriff has asked people who recorded video of the crash to provide copies for investigators to review.

Stewart-Haas Racing, the Nascar team of which Stewart is co-owner, said in a statement: "A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating.

"Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

"We're still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time."

The track, which hosted the local dirt-track event at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, located 30 miles south-east of Rochester in upstate New York, cancelled the remainder of the race within five minutes of the incident.