For the second race this season, NASCAR great Tony Stewart hopped into a Craftsman Truck Series truck, but fans unfortunately didn’t get much time to see Smoke doing his thing at Talladega Superspeedway.
Back in February, Stewart made his return to NASCAR competition when he drove the No. 25 Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing.
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That ended with a crash 39 laps into the race, so Stewart was surely hoping — and fans certainly were too — that he would make it the full race distance.
NASCAR FANS PACK INTO TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY AHEAD OF SUNDAY’S JACK LINKS 500 RACE
NASCAR great Tony Stewart made his second Craftsman Truck Series start of the season on Saturday at Talladega. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Unfortunately, his time on track was even shorter.
The race got off to a good start for Stewart. He qualified 29th, but was able to gain 11 positions in the first 15 laps.
But on lap 17, Stewart Friesen lost control of his No. 52 Toyota Tundra on the backstretch, which caused a big, nine-car wreck.
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That was it for Stewart, which is a real shame for a few reasons. First of all, it sure seems like that truck of his had some potential, given how many positions he picked up early. Secondly, fans didn’t get to see as much of the NASCAR Hall of Famer back on track.
Welp. You got 17 laps.
Hey, that is the reality of superspeedway racing. You need a good helping of luck to go along with that quick truck.
Tony Stewart climbs into his race truck during qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs Loves’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Yeah, it’s just a racing deal,” Stewart 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.”
Well, maybe we’ll get to see Stewart back in the Truck Series at some point next season. There aren’t any concrete plans, but he’s certainly due for some good luck.
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The race win ended up going to Spire Motorsports’ Sammy Smith, who managed to take the checkered flag in overtime. It was Smith’s first career Truck Series win and came the same day that it was announced that he will compete full-time for Tricon Garage next season.