Tony Stewart will end his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving career following the 2016 season. Stewart made the announcement during a press conference held Wednesday at Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
“Next year will be my last year in the Sprint Cup Series,” Stewart said to open the press conference.
The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion is tied for 13th on all-time series win list with 48 victories. He won the Sprint Cup title in 2002, 2005 and 2011.
“This is a moment every driver eventually comes to terms with, and I know this is the right decision for me,” said Stewart. “2016 will be my last year in a Sprint Cup car, but it’s not my last year in NASCAR. I love this sport and I love being a part of it, and instead of seeing me in a firesuit on Sundays, you’ll see me in a pair of jeans, and maybe even a pair of khakis.”
Stewart was adamant that his retirement had nothing to do with the tumultuous last two years of his life that has included a sprint car crash resulting in a broken leg and the 2014 accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr.
“This is more of a formality,” Stewart said. “It was a choice that was 100 percent mine. There wasn’t any pressure from anybody. If anything, it was the opposite I had people trying to talk me out of it.”
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– story by Pete Pistone
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