Tony Stewart’s chances of winning in his first NASCAR race back from retirement were over before the halfway point of the race.
During the second stage of the Craftsman Truck Series 100-lap race at Daytona, Jake Garcia’s truck came loose in Turn 4 and Stewart’s truck was pushed into the wall. With Stewart on his outside, Garcia overcorrected and collided with Stewart as he hit the wall.
Stewart’s truck was severely damaged, costing him his chance to win the race. His Kaulig Racing team made the final decision to take the truck to the garage after repairs were made.
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The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer is competing in a NASCAR race for the first time since retiring after the 2016 season. Stewart won 49 of 618 career Cup Series starts and was one of the best drivers of the 2000s before his retirement. Stewart won the 2002, 2005 and 2011 Cup Series championships, and his final title is widely credited with helping create the winner-take-all title race that NASCAR recently abandoned.
That season, Stewart and Carl Edwards engaged in one of the greatest playoff battles in NASCAR history. Stewart won five races in the 10-race postseason after going winless in the regular season, but won the final race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway to tie Edwards for the title via tiebreaker because he had more wins.
Stewart returns to NASCAR on Friday night as Rahm returns to the Truck Series. The manufacturer returns to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2025, and Stewart (of his NHRA team Dodge Racing) has been selected to run the No. 25 Truck for the team, which will rotate drivers throughout the 2026 season.
The race was Stewart’s first Truck Series appearance in more than 20 years. He last raced in Trucks in 2005 and won twice in six races in the NASCAR Division III series.