Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart admits that he may retire from the cockpit in one of his favorite branches of motorsport, sprint car racing.

Stewart, who earlier this week was absolved of wrong-doing in the incident that killed Kevin Ward Jr., said: “I would say it’s going to be a long time before you ever see me in a sprint car again, if ever. I don’t have any desire at this moment to get back in a car.”

Speaking to the Associated Press, Stewart admitted that Ward’s death was not the only factor in his dilemma, since he had also broken a leg in a sprint car crash in 2013. Following that incident, Stewart faced criticism from some sections of the media for taking part in extra-curricular activities that could threaten his main line of work, racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“It’s hurt for 16 months to sit and be scrutinized for it,” said Stewart, “and to try to give back to a sport that you love, and every time you turn around, you’ve got to constantly defend yourself for doing something and trying to support something that you believe in and care about.”

Stewart also revealed that the grand jury verdict on Tuesday hasn’t allowed him to move on, and that the first step toward that may only come when he has a chance to speak to the Ward family.

“I would hope they understand – maybe they do, maybe they don’t, maybe they never will – that I do care,” said Stewart. “I’ve tried to be respectful of their process of grieving and not push myself on them. I’m sure they have things that they want to know what happened and I think it’s important for them at some point to hear it from my point.”

Read the full AP story on ESPN.com here.

Related stories:

• Stewart attorney responds to grand jury ruling
• Ward family reacts to grand jury ruling
• Ward’s death was “100 percent an accident” says Stewart