Storyline: Tony Stewart will retire from NASCAR Sprint Cup racing this year. Expect a good year from him. Written by Peyton Hook, Galesburg, IL.
Last year Tony Stewart announced that he’d retiring from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after the 2016 season. Clint Bowyer will replace Stewart in the #14 Stewart Haas Chevy for the 2017 Season. Stewart says that he’s not retiring from racing, though, just the Sprint Cup Series. We may see Stewart start an Xfinity team with Gene Haas, co-owner of Stewart Haas Racing in the Sprint Cup series with Stewart. Stewart will most likely run the 2017 Camping World Truck Series at a dirt track he owns, Eldora.
So, what should you expect from Tony Stewart in his last season?
Courtesy: startribune.com
First, just have fun, we’ll see good ole’ Tony Stewart this year. Second, he’ll win races this year. Getting rid of his old crew chief, Chad Johnston, should really help him. We can expect Tony to win the Daytona 500 this year, something he has yet to do. Also expect Tony to win Sonoma or Watkins Glen this year as well. Tony has five wins at the Glen, but he has only got one top-ten finish there (7th in ’10) since his last win in ’09. Tony has only won two races at Sonoma (in 2001 and 2005) and none for Stewart Haas Racing.
We can expect Tony to get twenty or more top-ten’s this year. Knowing Tony, he’ll bounce back because he was determined to get some new help at Stewart Haas Racing. Consider, too, that NASCAR is switching the rules package it used last year at Kentucky and Darlington. Let’s face it: Kentucky, another place Tony hasn’t won, was a disgrace last year. At Darlington Tony looked more like Tony. He led ten laps, which is the most he ever led in a Cup race at Darlington. He ended up 15th, though, due to a pit crew problem.
But the last thing to expect in ’16: to see Tony finish in the top-ten in points.
