Tony Stewart's Talladega return ends after 17 laps in nine-car wreck
NASCAR legend Tony Stewart's return to the Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway ended after just 17 laps, when a massive nine-car wreck brought his race to an early halt.
It was Stewart's second Craftsman Truck Series start of the season. Back in February, he had returned to NASCAR competition driving the No. 25 Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing.
That February race also ended in a crash, 39 laps in. So at Talladega, Stewart himself — and certainly the fans — were hoping he would make it to the full race distance this time.
Instead, his time on track was even shorter. The start had been promising: he qualified 29th but gained 11 positions in the first 15 laps.
The crash came on lap 17. Stewart Friesen lost control of his No. 52 Toyota Tundra on the backstretch, triggering the big nine-car wreck.
That was the end of Stewart's race. It was a shame for two reasons: first, his truck seemed to have potential given how many positions he picked up early; secondly, fans did not get to see much of the NASCAR Hall of Famer back on track.
Stewart himself took it as a racing reality. 'Yeah, it's just a racing deal,' he said, per the Associated Press. 'That's part of it. Stewart (Friesen) couldn't go anywhere. He had an issue, and he's stuck in the middle. So he was doing the best he could to hang onto it, and just everybody around him got caught up in it.'
That is the reality of superspeedway racing — you need a good helping of luck to go along with a quick truck, and this time the luck was not with Stewart.
The race win went to Spire Motorsports' Sammy Smith, who took the checkered flag in overtime. It was Smith's first career Truck Series win.
The win came on the same day it was announced that Smith will compete full-time for Tricon Garage next season, making the Talladega day doubly memorable for him.
For Stewart, the question now is whether he will be seen in the Truck Series again next season. There are no concrete plans yet, but after two crash-shortened returns, he is certainly due for some good luck.
