Tony Stewart's return to NASCAR started with plenty of promise but ended in a shower of sparks and a beat-up truck Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart's return to NASCAR started with plenty of promise but ended in a shower of sparks and a beat-up truck Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart started 15th, right in line with fellow superstar Travis Pastrana who started 13th and not far behind fellow headliner Cleetus McFarland.
The race started slow for the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, as he fell back to 25th in the first stage. Stewart said his truck felt loose and needed adjustments, which the team went to work on during the first stage break, at lap 20.
Stewart started working his way through the pack and found himself in a comfortable spot as the second stage neared the end -- just four laps away -- on lap 36.
All of a sudden, Jake Garcia's No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford bobbled underneath Stewart's No. 25 Kaulig Racing RAM 1500 and caused them to crash exiting turn four.
Both trucks had extensive damage that was repairable to continue on in the race. However, with Stewart coming to Daytona solely to win, the team determined the truck wasn't going to contend again and decided to end the race early.
Stewart was disappointed with the outcome, stating the truck was just starting to get good when the crash happened.
"It felt free early on and it started responding to changes and was in a spot where I could be three wide and could hustle and was getting fun to where we could mix it up," he said.
Stewart didn't rule out a possible return beyond the Daytona race, despite indicating earlier in the week that Daytona was likely it.
"I didn't think I was going to be here 10 years after I retired but never say never," he said.
Before Friday, Stewart's last NASCAR start was November of 2016 in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His last slated start was July of 2020 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course before the COVID-19 pandemic scrapped the champion's plans.
In 2024, he winded down his NASCAR team -- Stewart-Haas Racing -- as he sought other adventures, such as racing in -- and winning in -- NHRA Top Fuel competition.
Stewart is the first "Free Agent" to pilot the No. 25 truck for Kaulig Racing this season. Kaulig NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Dillon will drive the truck next weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Then, the ride will alternate between drivers throughout the season.