Grand jury reportedly convenes in case of NASCAR’s Tony Stewart

A grand jury in upstate New York reportedly began hearing testimony Tuesday in the case of a fatal incident involving NASCAR’s Tony Stewart at a sprint-car race.

The grand jury’s proceedings began a week after Ontario County Dist. Atty. Michael Tantillo said he would submit evidence in the case gathered by the county sheriff to the panel, the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle reported.

The grand jury would decide whether Stewart should face any criminal charges.

Stewart’s car struck and killed a fellow driver, 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., while Ward was on foot during a non-NASCAR, sprint-car race at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park dirt track Aug. 9.

The drivers were racing side-by-side when Ward’s car crashed into an outside fence. Ward then climbed from his car, walked on the track and was hit as Stewart circled back around.

Another driver in the race, Chuck Hebing, confirmed that he was called to testify about the incident before the grand jury but declined to say more, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.

Neither Tantillo nor Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero has disclosed any details about what the investigation found, and Stewart also has not commented publicly on what happened.

Grand jury proceedings are secret so it’s not known how long it will take for the panel to render a decision.

After sitting out three races in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series after the incident, Stewart -- a three-time Cup champion -- has competed in the last four Cup events. He failed to finish in the top 10 in any of the four races.

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