Tony Stewart News

The curtain came down to loud applause early Sunday evening at Homestead-Miami Speedway when Tony Stewart walked off the NASCAR stage for the final time as a Sprint Cup Series driver, ending a career that included three championships and 49 victories.

Stewart drove his No. 14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to a 22nd-place finish in his 618th and final race on the 1.5-mile south Florida high banks Sunday in the sport’s 2016 season finale. 

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Nov. 15, 2016) –After three NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 49 victories and 618 starts, Tony Stewart will climb in his No. 14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for the final time in his 18-year career Sunday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway and conclude what is destined to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career. 

But save the tears, race fans. He isn’t done driving and he isn’t going away.

“You’re going to see me driving a lot next year, but most of it will be on dirt,” Stewart said. “I kind of look at this as halftime of my career and I’ll still be around the NASCAR garage. I’ll just have more time. If I see Richard Petty or anyone else in the garage, I can go over and talk to him now and not have to worry about getting to the car or trying to figure out how to make my car go faster. I can focus now on what I want to do and my job at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing.)”

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 15th Sunday in his 28th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m really going to miss this place,” Stewart said about the Arizona mile oval where he raced in open wheel, IndyCar and NASCAR races during his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career.

Stewart started 25th on Sunday, and it didn’t take long for the excitement to begin: Kyle Larson spun in turn three on the opening lap, and as the 40-car field attempted to avoid the sliding Larson, Stewart made contact with another car. The damage forced the No. 14 to pit lane, where the crew made minor repairs and returned him to the race in 39th place.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shop/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 31st Sunday in his 28th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

It was a long AAA Texas 500 for the three-time champion, who joined 39 other drivers plus crews and race fans waiting out the six-hour rain delay that turned the afternoon event into a night race. Stewart, like most of the drivers, struggled with the handling of his racecar on the Texas high banks made even slipperier by the weather.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Nov. 1, 2016) – He’s won three championships and 49 races in 18 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. He’s also earned countless victories and titles on short tracks across America in nearly every form of racing imaginable. But few things have touched Tony Stewart like the honor he’s to receive this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, when the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver makes his 28th and final appearance on the 1.5-mile oval.

Stewart will have his own bobblehead doll.

No. 14 Haas Automation Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart finished 26th Sunday in his 34th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. It was a long day for the three-time champion, who struggled with his car’s handling in the tight corners of the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped track.

“We just couldn’t get our car to turn today,” said Stewart, who missed the April race in Martinsville as he recovered from injuries suffered in an offseason accident.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Oct. 25, 2016) – For the last three decades, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have dominated the headlines in American motorsports starting on the short tracks of Indiana in the early 1990s before both climbed to the pinnacle of the racing world in NASCAR.

They’ve combined for 1,418 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, 142 wins, 96 poles, 37,751 laps led and seven championships, not to mention countless open-wheel victories and titles, as well as success in other NASCAR series.  

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart finished 32nd Sunday in his 70th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup restrictor plate race in the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Stewart, who is retiring from Sprint Cup racing at the end of the season after an 18-year career, employed a strategy of racing at the back of the lead pack most of the afternoon. In the past the future Hall of Famer would storm to the front in the closing laps, but on Sunday the No. 14 did not climb to the front before the checkered flag fell.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Oct. 18, 2016) – Tony Stewart might not be the biggest fan of restrictor-plate racing in NASCAR, but there are few drivers like Stewart who can say they’ve led almost 1,000 laps or logged more than 30,000 miles in their careers on the 200-mph, high-banked tracks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

In Sunday’s Alabama 500 at the 2.66-mile Talladega track, the three-time champion will drive the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Delvac Chevrolet in the 70th and final superspeedway restrictor-plate start of his 18-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

Tony Stewart didn’t earn his 50th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, but he still walked away from the 1.5-mile oval victorious.

In his traditional role as driver, Stewart piloted his No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet to a 16th-place finish at Kansas. And in his dual role as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, Stewart watched as their driver, Kevin Harvick, led 74 laps en route to the victory.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Oct. 11, 2016) – Safe to say a good many race fans didn't expect the kind of performance turned in by Tony Stewart during the 2016 season. He’d announced last year that his 18th season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series would be his final one before he devoted the rest of his career to team ownership and short-track racing across America.

After two frustrating seasons, conventional wisdom opined Stewart’s NASCAR swan song would be a nice story to occupy media before NASCAR’s late-season Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs began. Competitors and crew would reminisce with Stewart throughout the year about his three championships and 48 victories while tracks would present him with rocking chairs or other parting gifts each week.

No. 14 Mobil 1/Rev The Vote Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart finished ninth in Sunday’s Bank of America 500 in his 35th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was a heck of a comeback for Stewart, after he and his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team found themselves 31st and a lap down about a third of the way through the 500-mile race.

“Real proud of my guys today,” Stewart said. “We battled hard. The pit stops were great. I didn’t think I’d have a top-10 at the end of the day.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Thursday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by winning the pole for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was the 29th Sprint Cup pole for SHR since inception in 2009 and the organization’s third of the season.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Oct. 4, 2016) – No. 14 Mobil 1/Rev The Vote Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart isn’t going to win his fourth Sprint Cup championship in 2016, but the future NASCAR Hall of Famer is quick to say he’s not going to let that diminish what he sees as a successful 18th and final season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing.

“Sure, I’m disappointed as any competitor would be,” said Stewart, whose 13th-place finish Sunday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway left him 13th in points after the Round of 16 in NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Only 12 of the 16 Chase drivers advanced to the Round of 12 that begins with Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

No. 14 Nature’s Bakery/Mobil 1 Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart finished 13th in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, but the strong run wasn’t enough to keep the three-time champion in contention for NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“We gave it 110 percent today,” said Stewart, who told the team on the radio that missing the Chase shouldn’t change the way it looks at the 2016 season. “We’ve had a really good year, and we won’t let this get us down. There’s lots of racing left this season.”

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 28, 2016) – It’s not going to be easy, but the task is pretty simple.

If Tony Stewart wants to keep his hopes for a fourth career Sprint Cup title in his final year of NASCAR competition alive, he’ll need to walk out of Dover (Del.) International Speedway late Sunday afternoon with the trophy, or land in the top 12 among the 16 drivers in NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs. Stewart arrives in Delaware 15th, just 11 points out of 12th, after two of the three first-round races that will ultimately eliminate a quarter of the Chase field.

Tony Stewart put forth a workmanlike performance Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon to finish 23rd in the Bad Boy Off Road 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. But the hard work netted little reward for the three-time Sprint Cup champion as the result dropped Stewart to 15th in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, 11 points outside the top-12 cutoff to advance to the Round of 12.

Stewart is still among the 16 drivers competing in the Chase, but following next Sunday’s race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, the field gets whittled down to 12. Only those who have won a race or are among the top-12 in points will be able to continue their championship pursuit.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by setting the 13th-fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Busch turned a lap of 28.348 seconds at 134.359 mph on the 1.058-mile oval in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 20, 2016) – In the 12-year history of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, there’s probably no track during its 10 races that causes greater anxiety among the 16 drivers bidding to advance beyond the first round than New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

The 1.058-mile oval rivals Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for Chase tracks most likely to instantly turn a good race into a horror show for drivers battling for the sport’s championship. Its history is filled with early race accidents, late-race controversy and close, hard racing. That peril, combined with the importance of Sunday’s race, will keep Chase drivers awake at night this week.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), began NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup with a 16th-place finish in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 Sunday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The finish dropped Stewart from 11th to 12th in the Chase but kept him in contention among the 16 Chase drivers.

The Chicagoland race marked the beginning of the 10-race Chase and the first of the three first-round races that will eliminate four drivers from the title competition.

Rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. As a result, the 40-car field for Sunday’s 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile oval was set by current 2016 owner points, per the NASCAR rulebook.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 13, 2016) – As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins its 16-driver, 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has some specific strategy he says led to success over the years as both a Chase-winning driver and championship-winning car owner.

He’s followed that strategy and even imparted the wisdom to SHR teammate Kevin Harvick, who won a championship in 2014. But don’t count on ever hearing about any specifics from Stewart.

No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart closed out the 26-race NASCAR Sprint Cup regular season Saturday night with a 33rd-place finish at Richmond International Raceway, but he sits 12th among the 16 drivers who qualified for NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup that begins next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

Saturday night proved a tough Richmond farewell for Stewart, who has long called the .75-mile, D-shaped, Virginia oval his favorite track on the circuit.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 6, 2016) – After 18 years of Sprint Cup competition and 34 races at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway – a place he calls his “very favorite” track – No. 14  Code 3/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Tony Stewart will take the green flag for the final time at the .75-mile oval Saturday night.

But this weekend isn’t about nostalgia for the 45-year-old Stewart. There’s work to be done, and lots of it.

The Richmond race marks the end of NASCAR’s 26-race regular season and signals the transition to the 16-team, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs that begin the following weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Stewart will join SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch in the playoffs.

No. 14 Coca-Cola Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart raced in the top-10 during Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway before late-race engine problems left him with a 35th-place finish in his final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the historic oval. But all was not lost this weekend, as the Coca-Cola car won the vote for the best paint scheme during the sport’s annual “throwback weekend” to honor its heritage.

“Our car was awesome tonight, but it was overheating and it finally grenaded,” Stewart said. “It was 375 degrees on water temperature. There’s a screen in there that keeps all the trash from getting into the radiator, and it got separated from its mount, so all the trash was getting underneath it and going up inside the radiator, and it just kept blocking it until we finally lost the motor.”

With severe weather from Hurricane Hermine postponing scheduled on-track activities Friday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, NASCAR officials elected to cancel Sprint Cup Series qualifying, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and replace it with a pair of practice sessions to give drivers more time to prepare for Sunday night’s Southern 500.

As a result, the 40-car field for the 367-lap event around the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval was set by current 2016 owner points, per the NASCAR rulebook.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Aug. 30, 2016) – Tony Stewart knows he has a tall task ahead of him in Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway. But the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion would like nothing better to celebrate his 50th victory after his final race at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.

Adding to the prestige of this weekend’s penultimate race before the start of NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs, the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Chevrolet SS will carry a red-and-gold Coca-Cola paint scheme honoring the 1971 and 1972 racecars driven by Bobby Allison in back-to-back victories at Darlington. 

No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart finished 21st in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race marked the 34th and final Michigan Sprint Cup start for Stewart, who is retiring from NASCAR competition at the end of the 2016 season.

After finishing seventh at Michigan in June, the three-time champion hoped for a better result. But the team struggled with handling issues the first half of the race and fell off the lead lap at the halfway mark. The No. 14 team tried a different tire strategy in the last half of the race, but  the caution flag didn’t fly when needed, so Stewart never returned to the lead lap.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Aug. 22, 2016) – Some people battle insomnia by counting sheep at night while others try counting to 10 to curb their emotion in the heat of an argument. No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS driver Tony Stewart has a unique way to alleviate any frustration he encounters racing on the ultra-fast Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

“As weird is this is going to sound,” Stewart said with a laugh, “that helicopter ride out of the Michigan track to the airport is the one time all season when my head is glued to the window looking out, trying to count how many deer I see on the ride from the racetrack to the airport.”

After enduring a rain delay that turned the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race into a day race on Sunday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart had to endure a broken wheel hub that left him 29 laps down and in 30th-place when the checkered flag dropped.

Stewart and the other drivers who made up the 40-car field were only able to complete 48 laps on Saturday night before rain forced NASCAR Sprint Cup Series officials to postpone the race to Sunday with a scheduled 1 p.m. EDT start. Rain continued, however, pushing the start to just past 4:30 p.m.

Tony Stewart did the racing equivalent of the microphone drop Sunday as he walked off the stage at Watkins Glen International with a fifth-place finish in his 16th and final race at the New York road course.

The No. 14 Haas Automation Chevrolet driver for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) used the perfect fuel strategy and survived some wild racing in the closing laps of the Cheez-It 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Saturday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International by setting the third-fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 69.902 seconds at 126.177 mph on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of two rounds. The first was 25 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, 10-minute round of qualifying where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (Aug. 2, 2016) – No. 14 Haas Automation Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart has done just about everything there is to do in motorsports. He’s won three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships, raced in nearly every open-wheel series in America, and has presided as a championship team owner and as a top-notch track owner. This weekend at Watkins (N.Y.) Glen International, he’ll face something he’s never encountered in 40 plus years of racing.

“I’ve never been to a road course that has been repaved,” Stewart said. “So it’s a first time for me.

Stewart is referring to the $12 million offseason repaving project of the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen road course unveiled to some drivers at a Goodyear tire test last week. In addition to the resurfacing of the racetrack, workers also poured new concrete on pit road, completed electrical work, installed concrete rumble strips in the turns, and finished grading and grassing along the track’s perimeter.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished fifth in Monday’s rain-delayed and rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway – an event that was neither easy nor quick.

After rain cancelled all activity for Sunday’s planned race, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returned Monday to an even bleaker weather forecast with heavy rain invading the Pennsylvania mountains. But the race ran with the 40 drivers battling drizzle, wind and fog before heavy rainstorms arrived in the afternoon to finally end racing.

Date: July 29, 2016

Event: Qualifying for the Pennsylvania 400 (Round 21 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)

Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr. (50.211 seconds at 179.244 mph)

SHR Lineup: Tony Stewart (6th, 50.450 seconds at 178.394 mph)

                  Kurt Busch (15th, 50.795 seconds at 177.183 mph)

                  Kevin Harvick (17th, 50.851 seconds at 176.988 mph)

                  Danica Patrick (26th, 51.310 seconds at 175.404 mph)

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway by setting the sixth-fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 50.450 seconds at 178.394 mph on the 2.5-mile triangle in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 15th with a time of 50.795 seconds at 177.183 mph.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, qualified 17th with a time of 50.851 seconds at 176.988 mph.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 26th with a time of 51.310 seconds at 175.404 mph.

Martin Truex Jr. led the final round of knockout qualifying by taking the pole with a lap of 50.211 seconds at 179.244 mph. It was his 10th career Sprint Cup pole, his first at Pocono and his third of the season.

Carl Edwards will start on the outside of row one after clocking in at 50.315 seconds at 178.873 mph.

The 10 other drivers who made it to the final round of qualifying were Paul Menard, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon. All are listed in the order they’ll start the race.

The Pennsylvania 400 gets underway at 1:30 p.m. EDT Sunday with live coverage provided by NBCSN.  

-SHR-

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (July 26, 2016) – Many factors contribute to Tony Stewart’s recent success. Excellent engines, cars, crew, fast pit stops and historic driving talent have propelled the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to be the third-highest scoring team in the last five races and have turned it into a real contender to win NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs as the regular season continues with Sunday’s Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Perhaps the leading factor in the three-time champion’s recent resurgence is the rookie crew chief with the really difficult-to-pronounce last name. Pennsylvanian Mike Bugarewicz (Bug-ARE-avich) was an unknown to most NASCAR fans at the beginning of the season, when SHR announced he would lead the No. 14 team in Stewart’s final season in NASCAR, then prepare for the arrival of Clint Bowyer in 2017.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Chevy Summer Sell Down Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), hoped for better than an 11th-place finish Sunday afternoon in his 18th and final Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But as dusk set, Stewart walked out of the racetrack he’s revered since childhood smiling like he’d won the race. 

The three-day race weekend in his home state of Indiana was a celebration of the Columbus native’s career, capped by a post-race lap around the 2.5-mile track driving side-by-side with Jeff Gordon.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (July 18, 2016) – Tony Stewart’s 2016 NASCAR swan song has already given motorsports fans the indelible memory of a last-corner pass at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June that preceded one of the more emotional victory lane celebrations of the season. 

It was a victory that likely earned the 49-time winner a place in NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs and, given recent success and his historic prowess in Chase races, the three-time champion will likely add to his career highlight reel this summer and fall.

Tony Stewart had a wicked good run Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, wheeling his No. 14 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to a second-place finish in the New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was Stewart’s third top-five result this season and his 15th top-five in 34 career Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire.

Stewart made the most of three restarts that took place during the race’s final 33 laps, driving from ninth to second and finishing 1.982 seconds behind race winner Matt Kenseth.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (July 12, 2016) – Gene Haas has a present for fellow Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) co-owner Tony Stewart this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

The gray-and-red paint scheme of Haas Automation, the largest CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine tool builder in North America, will adorn the three-time champion’s No. 14 Chevrolet in Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session for the Kentucky 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. As a result, the 40-car field for Saturday night’s 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile oval was set by current 2016 owner points, per the NASCAR rulebook.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will start first. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet for SHR, will start third. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, will start 22nd. Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, will start 27th.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (July 5, 2016) – Believe it or not, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart circled Saturday night’s race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta on his calendar way before the 2016 NASCAR season began. Just short of the Daytona 500 or maybe the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday night’s race on the newly repaved 1.5-mile oval is as important as any this year to Stewart, who’s in his final season of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

Kentucky Speedway is about 80 miles from his home in Columbus, Indiana, and a good contingent of Hoosiers will head to the Bluegrass State this weekend for one of the final opportunities in the area to watch the three-time champion race in NASCAR. It’s also his final chance to win at one of the only two tracks where he has yet to record a Sprint Cup victory.

After 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races over 18 years of competition that led to four Cup victories, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart said his final goodbye to Daytona International Speedway Saturday night in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola. 

In his swan song on the famed 2.5-mile oval, the three-time champion finished 26th in his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) entry after looking like he might win his second consecutive race of the season. Stewart avoided early trouble then battled in the top-five as the race wound down, but with 10 to go the No. 14 slammed into the wall, ending his chances for victory. 

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (June 28, 2016) – After 18 years of full-time racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, three-time champion Tony Stewart makes his final appearance at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway when he’ll drive the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.

Saturday night’s race comes just six days after Stewart’s last-corner pass Sunday afternoon at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway to capture his 49th career victory that broke an 84-race winless drought. The victory was a big step toward securing a berth for his No. 14 team in NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs.

Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Driver Leads Final 22 Laps, Inches Closer to Chase Contention 

Date: June 26, 2016

Event:  Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Sonoma Raceway (1.99-mile road course)

Start/Finish: 10th/1st (Running, completed 110 of 110 laps)

Winner: Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing (Chevrolet)

To the victor go the spoils.

After winning Sunday’s Save Mart 350k at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, that adage is one Tony Stewart intends to fulfill to the tune of a berth in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Championship.

Driving the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/ Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Stewart took the lead with 22 laps to go and sparred with Denny Hamlin on the last lap to score his 49th career Sprint Cup Series win, his third at Sonoma and his first since winning at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on June 2, 2013. This was also Stewart’s eighth Sprint Cup win on a road course, as he has five victories at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

“All of these wins are meaningful – it doesn’t matter where you get them,” said Stewart, now a three-time winner at Sonoma (2001, 2005 and 2016). “We ran close to those guys up front all day. It’s pretty ironic that the last win we got was in a Code 3 Associates car, and I’m proud to do it again. I’m really proud for all of our sponsors – Mobil 1, Bass Pro Shops and everybody.

“I’m excited for Mike (Bugarewicz, crew chief) to get his first win and proud that I could get him a win before the end of the year,” Stewart added. “I’m excited for this team. My guys have been through this whole disastrous roller coaster the last three or four years and never backed down. They’ve never quit on me. There have been days I quit on myself, and they are the guys that send you text messages and call you when you get home like, ‘Hey, this isn’t over.’ I’m proud for them, and it meant more for me to get it for them than for myself.”

Stewart missed the first eight races of the season after injuring his back in a Jan. 31 all-terrain vehicle accident, but NASCAR granted him a medical waiver that made Stewart eligible for the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. To compete for the series championship, Stewart had to win at least one race and secure a position within the top-30 of the championship standings by the 26th race of the season Sept. 10 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. With the victory at Sonoma, Stewart checks one box on his way toward eligibility and seems likely to satisfy the other requirement, as he is only nine points behind 30th-place Brian Scott.

Stewart was fast throughout the race weekend, posting top-10 lap times in both practices Friday, then qualifying 10th on Saturday. It marked his third consecutive top-10 qualifying effort.

Once the green flag waved, Stewart wasted no time in showing his road-racing skills as he drove from 10th to seventh in the opening laps and executed a daring three-wide pass in the turn 11 hairpin.

Stewart held his ground through the first round of pit stops, but he restarted 15th after the lap-38 caution that saw him pit while others stayed on the track or had quicker pit stops.

“We are tight on the right-handers and loose on the left-handers,” Stewart told the crew, who made adjustments to correct the issues during the pit stop.

The No. 14 struggled in race traffic on the restart, and Stewart was only able to make it to 14th by the time he pitted again on lap 70 of the 110-lap race. With 40 laps remaining, the crew told Stewart to “go get them for now” but warned that if the race went caution-free, they might need Stewart to save fuel.

Stewart couldn’t gain much ground, so the team pitted once more with 25 to go. Although he dropped to 32nd, the team gambled that a caution in the final laps would enable Stewart to take advantage of track position and fresher tires. As it turns out, that’s just what happened one lap later when NASCAR threw the yellow for a spring rubber in turn seven.

The caution brought most of the field to pit lane on lap 88, allowing Stewart to move to fourth. As the laps wound down the tension increased for drivers that wrestled their 3,300-pound cars on the 11-turn track in 90-degree temperatures, resting only during three brief cautions in the first 100 laps.

“I can’t ask for any better position that what I am in,” Stewart said before restarting the race in the lead with 20 laps remaining. “I’m going to take what I can get out of this.”

During the final laps, Stewart put on a display of what has made him a power on the NASCAR road courses, holding off hard charges by both Martin Truex Jr. and Hamlin, trading the lead with the latter just once before coming to the checkered flag.

“This place has meant a lot to me,” said Stewart, who has openly acknowledged Sonoma as his favorite track. “If I don’t win another one, it’s cool to win the last one here. If it doesn’t happen again, it’s cool. I’ll be all right if this is the last place I win one. I’m going for more – just for the record. I’m not saying I’m laying down. I’m just saying if that’s the only one I get this year, then I’ll be content. I think you’ve known me long enough, you guys know that I don’t lay down for anything. All you’ve got to do is just give me that little bit of hope, and I’ll run with it.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished sixth. It was his 13th top-10 this season and his seventh top-10 in 16 career Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 10th. It was Busch’s 14th top-10 this season and his eighth top-10 in 16 career Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 19th.

Hamlin finished .625 of a second behind Stewart in the runner-up spot, while Joey Logano, Carl Edwards and Truex rounded out the top-five. Harvick, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were four caution periods for 10 laps, with three drivers failing to finish the 110-lap race.

With round 16 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR and the series in the championship standings. He is first with 562 points, 35 ahead of teammate Busch. This marks the fifth straight week SHR drivers have been 1-2 in the championship standings.

Patrick is 24th with 288 points, 89 ahead of 31st-place Regan Smith. Like Stewart, if Patrick can win a race and finish among the top-30 in points following the 26th race of the season, she will earn a Chase berth. Harvick earned a Chase spot via his win March 13 at Phoenix International Raceway, and Busch secured his position via his win June 6 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola on Saturday, 

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KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (June 21, 2016) – If there is any doubt Tony Stewart still has the desire and ability to win a race in his final year of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, then look no further than the June 12 race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where the three-time champion posted the fourth-best average running position of 5.2 over 400 miles before finishing seventh.

The Michigan finish, combined with running up front at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway the previous weekend, as well as consecutive top-six qualifying efforts in the last two races, have many asking if there is a rejuvenated Tony Stewart heading to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway this weekend to drive the Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in Sunday’s Save Mart 350.

Even though 2016 is his final NASCAR season, don’t think for a minute that Tony Stewart is doing anything but driving as hard as he ever has in his 18 years of full-time Sprint Cup racing, as evidenced in how he battled Sunday afternoon on the restarts at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

The driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) used a fast car and some great moves during those chaotic restarts to finish seventh in the FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn by setting the third-fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 36.190 seconds at 198.950 mph on the 2-mile oval in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (June 7, 2016) – Few sports attract corporate America’s support as well as NASCAR. For 38 weeks a year, each of 40 drivers carry some type of corporate messaging on their cars or uniforms designed to make their product appealing to the millions of fans at the track or watching on television.

Most corporate support aims for brand recognition ultimately to boost sales. This weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Tony Stewart will pilot  the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, one of his primary sponsors will take a little bit of a different sponsorship strategy.

After qualifying a season-best sixth and running strong in the practice sessions leading up to Monday’s rain-postponed Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Tony Stewart was poised for a strong finish. Unfortunately, an accident derailed those chances, leaving Stewart a disappointing 34th. 

Stewart was a stalwart among the top-10, but following a lap-93 restart, cars stacked up through turn one of the 2.5-mile triangle. As the field exited the corner, the jockeying intensified. Stewart got loose and tangled with his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick, slapping the outside SAFER Barrier.  

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 31, 2016) – Few people are likely to list the state of Pennsylvania among the top producers of NASCAR talent, but on Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the Keystone State is well represented with three crew members.

The three Pennsylvanians who work on Stewart’s Chevrolet say this weekend’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway is one of the most important of the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Each began racing in the area and could think of nothing better than to win in front of the homefolks Sunday afternoon at the “Tricky Triangle.”

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 24th in his 18th and final Coca-Cola 600 Sunday at Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway.

Stewart qualified 21st but started 39th in the 40-car field after NASCAR cited the team for an unapproved body modification during prerace.

When the green flag flew in the late afternoon sun, Stewart rushed toward the front, climbing to 25th by the lap-25 competition caution. Unfortunately, that was the only caution in the first 115 laps. The leaders’ fast pace put Stewart a lap down at lap 87 as he raced in 24th.

“The car feels like it is up out of the track,” Stewart reported while manhandling his machine as it struggled in the center of the track’s 24-degree banked corners.

Date: May 26, 2016

Event: Qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 (Round 13 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr. (28.077 seconds at 192.328 mph)

SHR Lineup:        

Kevin Harvick (8th, 28.381 seconds at 190.268 mph)

Kurt Busch (13th, 28.404 seconds at 190.114 mph)

Danica Patrick (19th, 28.492 seconds at 189.527 mph)

Tony Stewart (21st, 28.543 seconds at 189.188 mph)

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Thursday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by setting the eighth fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Harvick turned a lap of 28.381 seconds at 190.268 mph on the 1.5-mile oval in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 13th with a time of 28.404 seconds at 190.114 mph.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 19th with a time of 28.492 seconds at 189.527 mph. 

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 21st with a time of 28.543 seconds at189.188 mph.

Martin Truex Jr. led the final round of knockout qualifying by taking the pole with a lap of 28.077 seconds at 192.328 mph. It was his ninth career Sprint Cup pole, his first at Charlotte and his second of the season.

Joey Logano will start on the outside of row one after clocking in at 28.124 seconds and 192.007 mph.

The 10 other drivers who made it to the final round of qualifying were Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Harvick, Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard and Chase Elliott. All are listed in the order they’ll start the race.

The Coca-Cola 600 gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 24, 2016) – Tony Stewart on Sunday enters his final Coca-Cola 600 – the longest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule – as a two-time winner at Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway but yet to visit victory lane in the 600. That hasn’t escaped the three-time champion’s attention.

“Any time you win a race at Charlotte, it’s big,” Stewart said. “It’s a speedway with a lot of history and, obviously, the Coca-Cola 600 is a huge event. I’m a big fan of shorter races nowadays, but the 600 is truly a special event with it being on Memorial Day weekend and the history of the 600, back to when it was known as the World 600. There’s just a lot of tradition that surrounds the month of May in Charlotte. So, this is a big race. It’s an important race to win.”

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 20th in his 18th and final NASCAR Sprint All-Star race after hard contact ended his night Saturday at Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway.

Stewart’s bid to win his second All-Star race ended on lap 20 in the second 50-lap segment when Chase Elliott, in traffic, slowed on the track in turn four to enter the pits. The field attempted to avoid Elliott, but the result was a multicar accident that saw Stewart make hard contact with Kasey Kahne, destroying the No. 14.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 17, 2016) – It wasn’t about the boatloads of money or the trophy. In fact, it really wasn’t about standing in victory lane for Tony Stewart that night in May 2009 when he won his only NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

To Stewart, that victory was about one person: Gene Haas. 

The trip to victory lane was the first for Haas, who began his NASCAR organization in 2002, then added Stewart as a co-owner in 2009 to form Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). 

Late-race mechanical trouble left No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS driver Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with a 34th-place finish in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Stewart raced his backup car as high as 15th midway through Sunday’s race and looked to be in contention for a top-10 finish before the car’s track bar broke, rupturing an oil line and ending his race with 58 laps to go.

“The track bar broke, and the back of the car flops back and forth,” Stewart said. “I don’t know what more there is to say about that. We had been fighting – the car was acting weird for the last 80 to 100 laps. I’m sure it was already starting to break, and it finally just broke the rest of the way.”

Rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session for the AAA 400 Drive for Autism NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. As a result, the 40-car field for Sunday’s 400-lap event around the 1-mile concrete oval was set by taking the fastest lap each driver posted during Friday’s practice session, per the NASCAR rulebook.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), posted the fastest time and will start first. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet for SHR, will start ninth. Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery/Autism Dover Chevrolet SS for SHR, will start 31st. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, will start 34th.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (May 10, 2016) – Tony’s Stewart’s love of animals would make Dr. Doolittle feel like a slacker.

A pig named Porkchop greets you when you ring the doorbell at his house, and the first one out the motorhome door in the mornings at racetracks is often Max – Stewart’s German Shepherd. Both animals became internet celebrities last year when pictures of each napping with Stewart were retweeted far and wide on Twitter. Over the years, Stewart has travelled the NASCAR circuit with Tonkinese cats, small dogs, and even a Patas monkey he later moved to the Louisville Zoo after it took a few too many liberties as a roommate.

Stewart’s love for animals goes beyond just the care and feeding of his own. When the three-time champion established his charitable foundation in 2003, in addition to injured racers, he targeted ill children and at-risk animals as areas of focus.

Tony Stewart earned a solid 12th-place finish in the Go Bowling 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, overcoming a nagging vibration emanating from within his No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS to lead 12 laps.

Stewart began the 267-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval from 16th in the 40-car field. He fell to 20th by lap 75 with a tight handling condition, but thanks to the work of crew chief Mike Bugarewicz, the car improved enough for Stewart to climb to 14th by the race’s halfway mark.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Friday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City by setting the fourth-fastest lap in qualifying for Saturday night’s Go Bowling 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Busch turned a lap of 28.401 seconds at 190.134 mph on the 1.5-mile oval in the final qualifying round.

Qualifying consisted of three rounds. The first was 20 minutes, with every driver on the track vying to set the fastest lap. The 24 fastest drivers from the first round advanced to the second, 10-minute round and the fastest 12 drivers from that session advanced to the final, five-minute round where they battled for the pole. Positions 1-12 were set by speeds in the final round. Positions 13-24 were set by speeds in the second round. The remaining 40-car field was set by speeds posted by those who did not advance past the first round.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, (May 3, 2016) – Kansas Speedway in Kansas City has been a welcome respite for No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS driver Tony Stewart since it was added to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule in 2001. The three-time champion owns victories at the 1.5-mile oval in 2006 and 2009, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes, has led 152 laps, and completed all but 60 of the laps that have been available to him in his 19 career starts at the track for a lap-completion rate of 98.8 percent.

The bulk of Stewart’s success at Kansas occurred on a surface that no longer exists. In addition to a massive repaving project between its two races in 2012, the track was reconfigured to include progressive banking of 17 to 20 degrees. In the Sprint Cup races that he has entered at Kansas since the facelift, Stewart’s best outing is a fifth-place result earned in the fall of 2012. Rules packages have changed several times since then and the first of Kansas’ two races has gone from being a day race in mid-April to an event that begins in late afternoon and ends under cool, dark skies on Mother’s Day weekend.

The driver tandem of Tony Stewart and Ty Dillon drove the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to a sixth-place finish in Sunday’s 47th annual GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Dillon took over the No. 14 from Stewart on lap 53 and drove the remainder of the race, narrowly missing three spectacular accidents on his way to the team’s best finish of the season.

“Man, that was a heck of a race,” said Dillon, who practiced the No. 14 Chevy Friday and qualified the car Saturday in preparation for his first Sprint Cup action at the 2.66-mile restrictor-plate track. “I don’t know how I missed those accidents, but we did. We had an awesome Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet today and I had a blast.” 

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (April 26, 2016) – In the nearly 600 races Tony Stewart has started plus the upcoming two decades’ worth of races many expect Ty Dillon will run in his budding racing career, none will likely feature a driver lineup as unique as that of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Stewart will practice and start the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet in Sunday’s race. The three-time champion will drive until the first caution, when he’ll pull down pit lane and climb out of the car, allowing Dillon to race the remainder of the restrictor-plate race. 

A 19th-place finish in Sunday’s Richmond 400 isn’t the type of result three-time champion Tony Stewart would normally appreciate given his historic record of success in 17 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. But the performance might have been one of the most memorable drives of Stewart’s career, marking a triumph over physical injuries and time out of a racecar that few drivers could achieve.

Just 84 days after fracturing his back – an injury that initially left him struggling at times just to sit down – Stewart raced hard for 400 laps, showing little to no signs of rust as he wheeled his No. 14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) around the three-quarter-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (April 21, 2016) – Tony Stewart has been cleared by his doctors and NASCAR to return to racing, effective immediately. He will drive the No. 14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet SS fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing throughout this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Stewart missed the first eight races of the season after sustaining a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in a Jan. 31 all-terrain vehicle accident. The prescribed rehabilitation regimen instituted by his doctors following a March 9 evaluation proved successful, allowing the three-time series champion to return for his final Sprint Cup season.