Could Tony Stewart be making a return to NASCAR on a part-time basis? The three-time Cup Series champion hinted at the possibility during a Stewart-Haas Racing news conference Wednesday that named Aric Almirola driver of its No. 10 car next season.
Tony Stewart open to NASCAR return on Xfinity Series road courses
The three-time Cup Series champion hints that he may compete in a NASCAR Xfinity Series road course race sometime in the near future.
Photo by Jared Tilton/Getty Images
Stewart, who co-owns SHR along with Gene Haas, and Almirola were asked about Almirola running some Xfinity Series races in 2018 when Stewart interjected that he too was interested in the running select races in NASCAR’s No. 2 division sometime in the near future.
“There are actually some road course races that I might be interested in running,” Stewart said. “We’ve actually discussed it in-house here, but we don’t have anything near worth announcing by any means.”
Stewart retired from the Cup Series following the 2016 season, but has continued to regularly compete in sprint car races. He has also said previously he would be interested in running the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race.
The Xfinity Series has four road course races on its 2018 schedule: Watkins Glen International (Aug. 4); Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Aug. 11); Road America (Aug. 25), and Charlotte Motor Speedway (Sept. 29).
Of the four races, Stewart specifically mentioned Charlotte as a race that intrigued him. The track next season is switching from having its annual fall race on its 1.5-mile oval to a hybrid track that combines portions of the oval with a purposely built 2.42-mile, 18-turn road course.
“There are some really cool races, especially Charlotte having a road course race next year,” Stewart said. “I mean, there might be some opportunities that might be a little bit fun for me to come out and dust things off a little bit.”
See More:
