KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — NASCAR photo —
Smoke has risen again.
After missing the first eight races of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, three-time series champion Tony Stewart will make his long-awaited return to the cockpit of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet during this weekend’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
The prescribed rehabilitation regimen instituted by Stewart’s doctors following a March 9 evaluation proved successful, and he has been cleared to return for his final Sprint Cup season, effective immediately.
“As soon as the doctors said they were happy with my scans, I wasn’t going to wait any longer to get back in my race car,” said Stewart, who announced last year that he would retire after the 2016 season and will make his 591st career Sprint Cup start on Sunday. “I want to make the most of my last season in Sprint Cup, and I’ve been on the sidelines long enough.”
Stewart was injured in a January 31 ATV accident, suffering a burst fracture of his L-1 vertebra as a result of the mishap that forced him out of the cockpit just prior to the kick-off for his final full-time season at NASCAR’s top level. The car has been split by Brian Vickers (five races) and Ty Dillon (three races) so far this season, and currently sits 23rd in the owners championship.
Once Sunday’s race at Richmond is complete, Stewart will participate in a Goodyear tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he is a two-time winner in Cup competition, April 26-27. The Columbus, Indiana native will then practice, qualify and start the No. 14 Chevrolet at the series’ next race in Talladega, Alabama on May 1 before handing the controls off to Ty Dillon for the balance of the GEICO 500.
“We’re taking a strategic approach to my return,” Stewart said. “Richmond is a track where I feel very comfortable and because it’s a short track, the speeds are substantially less. The Goodyear test in Indy is sort of a controlled environment, allowing me to get more acclimated with my car at higher speeds. We’ll start the Talladega race to get the points, but understanding the style of racing and the higher potential of getting involved in an incident, we thought it was best to minimize the amount of time I’m in the car. I’ll return fulltime at Kansas and enjoy every moment I can in my final year of Sprint Cup.”
“I appreciate everyone’s patience and all the support they’ve given me the last couple of months, but the best medicine will come this weekend at Richmond when I finally get to go racing.”
Richmond makes a solid platform track for Stewart to make his return at. He scored his first-career Cup victory at the three-quarter mile oval as a rookie on Sept. 11, 1999, and has a total record of three wins, four second-place finishes, 11 top-fives, 19 top-10s and 950 laps led across 33 career starts there.
This is the third time that Stewart is returning from an extended absence at NASCAR’s top level. He missed the final 15 races of the 2013 season with a broken leg, sustained in a sprint car crash at Southern Iowa Speedway, and sat out three races in 2014 following a crash in a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park that claimed the life of fellow competitor Kevin Ward Jr.
NASCAR has not yet announced whether Stewart will receive a waiver for the races he has missed to date, with which he would be Chase Grid-eligible if he wins a race and reaches the top 30 in driver points.
First practice for the Toyota Owners 400 kicks off at 1 p.m. ET live on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Stewart Haas Racing contributed to this report.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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