{"id":408369,"date":"2026-01-14T09:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T09:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/408369\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T09:44:18","slug":"tony-stewart-is-coming-back-to-nascar-and-hes-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/408369\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Stewart Is Coming Back to NASCAR\u2014And He’s Driving"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tony Stewart is a racer. No matter what vehicle you toss him in<\/a>, he\u2019ll compete, and he\u2019s proven that across all different disciplines: open-wheel, dirt, Top Fuel, and, most successfully, tin-top stock cars. He hasn\u2019t entered a NASCAR race as a driver since 2016, but he\u2019s putting an end to his 10-year hiatus by returning to action with Ram<\/a> and Kaulig Racing<\/a> in a one-off Craftsman Truck Series entry. Really, that\u2019s a bigger deal than you might realize.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never be surprised to hear that Stewart is getting behind the wheel of something on any given race weekend. However, not everything has been hunky dory lately between NASCAR and the driver affectionately known as \u201cSmoke.\u201d You might remember that Stewart ran SRX<\/a>, an altogether new stock car racing league that drew talent from everywhere, including NASCAR\u2019s Cup Series. That has since been wound down, but not before NASCAR President Steve Phelps sent some nastygrams about SRX that came to light during a recent court battle.<\/p>\n

Some interesting texts revealed tonight \u2026 the text reaction of Phelps and O\u2019Donnell when they found out Denny Hamlin was running SRX \u2026 (tonight is the deadline for redacted exhibits to be filed for exhibits used in the summary judgment rulings). pic.twitter.com\/EE6WURbibY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

In those texts, Phelps said, \u201cThese guys are just plain stupid. Need to put a knife in this trash series.\u201d That was enough to feed the buzzing news cycle that swirled around NASCAR\u2019s year-long legal fight with 23XI Racing<\/a>, which only just came to an end. Phelps later announced his resignation from NASCAR, and he\u2019ll be out by the end of January. (It didn\u2019t help that he also berated team owner Richard Childress by calling him \u201ca stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Anywho, yeah. With that background, Stewart\u2019s sly grin in the included press photo feels all the more meaningful.<\/p>\n

\"KauligRam Stellantis<\/p>\n

Smoke will be the first competitor in Kaulig Racing\u2019s free agent seat. That means he won\u2019t be driving full-time, as the Daytona season-opener is all that he\u2019s confirmed to run right now. Still, it\u2019s noteworthy considering that Stewart just took a year off from NASCAR with his former team, Stewart-Haas Racing, closing at the end of 2024. It was the first time Stewart hadn\u2019t been involved with the sanctioning body in well over two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve raced just about everything with four wheels at Daytona, but never a truck. So when a seat in the new Ram was offered up for their first race back in NASCAR, I didn\u2019t hesitate,\u201d Stewart explained. \u201cRam\u2019s Free Agent program<\/a> is another great way for me to stay sharp and have a little fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

I bet he\u2019ll have a blast.<\/p>\n

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com<\/p>\n

From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.<\/p>\n

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