Fatal accident could cause sponsors to rethink deals

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's involvement in a fatal on-track accident over the weekend may wave a caution flag for the big-money corporate sponsors backing the three-time champion's team, industry analysts said.

While no charges have been filed against 43-year-old Stewart, who is one of auto racing's biggest names, the incident which ended in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. during a race in upstate New York on Saturday could still spook the backers whose brand logos cover Stewart's sleek race car.

"For any of those companies that have relationships with Tony Stewart or his team, I think they're all probably in a 'let's take a step back and assess this relationship' mode in light of the tragic incident," said Jim Andrews, senior vice-president at IEG, a consulting firm.