On Thursday – the same day Stewart announced he was returning to race for the first time this season in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway – NASCAR announced its fine, citing a clause in its rule book that prohibits “disparaging the sport and/or NASCAR’s leadership, or verbal abuse of a NASCAR official, media members, fans, etc”.
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Stewart was running 21, the first auto one lap down, on a restart when the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of driver Joey Logano shot the gap up the middle and made contact with Stewart’s No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.
With Tony Stewart back driving at Richmond for the first time in his final NASCAR season after recovering from a broken back, we’ll finally get to see the future Hall of Fame driver make his rounds one last time. Last year’s race was rained out on Saturday night, and Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch battled for the victory, with Busch prevailing.
“I love my job. There will be a bunch of these guys falling out of the seat if they had to run 800 more laps, but I will not be one of them”. We haven’t lost (expletive).
It was exactly the kind of confidence, high expectation and bravado that has characterized Stewart’s storied racing career.
The council – members are elected by their peers – makes up about one-fourth of the Cup series drivers. Or at least making a darn good run at it. He eventually did get his lap back, and wound up 19th.
Unfortunately, he spent much of the race trying to get back on the lead lap after falling off the pace early.
He finally snared the free pass and returned to the lead lap for the final 69 laps of the race.
Some portions of the race were more fun than others for Stewart.
“I’m sitting there going do we need a lap or do we need a backup (car)?” “It has not bit anybody yet, but I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt. I was thinking during that, what a heck of a first run back in the driver’s suit – a 160-lap (green-flag) run and he was wheeling the heck out of it”.
“I made it interesting for him for about 15 laps”, Stewart proudly told his team on the radio after being lapped by Edwards a quarter of the way into the 400-lap event. “It is good for the sport to have him back and he is just a good race vehicle driver and I am looking forward to finishing out the year with him”. “It’s so chaotic on the re-starts and I had a plan and I would try to execute my plan, but I zigged when I should have zagged every time for about four straight re-starts”. The only driver with more career wins in this race was Richard Petty. I’ve really enjoyed racing Tony and it’s good to see him back in a auto.
“I think it’s collaboration”, Keselowski said.
“I like having Sundays off every now and then, but I think it’s definitely going to put on a great show for sure”, Hamlin, who grew up about 25 minutes from the track, said “This race track, it does change a lot during the day”.
The series heads next week to Talladega Superspeedway, the biggest track in the premier series.
Zipadelli said Ty Dillon, an Xfinity Series regular who drove the No. 14 Chevrolet for three races, is on standby this weekend, but the competition director anticipates Stewart handling 400 miles on the.75-mile oval without problems.
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Jimmie Johnson tried to hand Tony Stewart a check for $4,500 on Friday, but the three-time series champion rebuffed him.
