Tony Stewart will make his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season debut this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. He made the announcement on Twitter Thursday.
Well, the long wait is over. I'll be back in my @Mobil1 Chevy this weekend at Richmond. I can't wait to race again 👍🏼😁👍🏼 #SmokeWillRise
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) April 21, 2016
Stewart, 44, missed the first eight races of the 2016 season due to a broken back he suffered in a January dune buggy accident. The three-time Sprint Cup champion suffered a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra when his buggy fell 20-25 feet. He said he was only going five miles per hour at the time.
Stewart underwent surgery on his back for the injury, and doctors have held him out of competitive racing for fears that a hard collision could result in a catastrophic injury to his back. However, it seems he has healed faster than expected and enough to persuade doctors to allow him back behind the wheel.
The Dr's said my scans "looked much better than they thought they would after 3 months". So they cleared me #SmokeWillRise
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) April 21, 2016
Stewart will also be eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup despite not competing every week. NASCAR granted him a waiver of eligibility, but Stewart will still need to win a race and finish in the top-30 in points by the end of the regular season to qualify for the Chase.
Still, Stewart is downplaying the significance of the waiver — it was never something he doubted he would receive.
“I would assume that it would fall right in line with that,” Stewart told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t. I guess it’s not really been on my radar because I just assume that it’s going to be the same criteria to get in.
“I don’t think there will be much attention unless we win a race,” Stewart said. “If we win a race, then I think there will.”
He also said he does not plan to race the full event next week at Talladega Superspeedway. Ty Dillon, who has been racing in Stewart’s place alongside Brian Vickers, is expected to fill in shortly after Stewart starts the race.
