(Photo: Tony Stewart on the gas at The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway – Vince Vellella Photo Credit)
Tony Stewart fourth during Texas Sprint Car Nationals preliminary
Dates: April 6th & 7th
Event: Tony Stewart presents the Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals
Series: American Sprint Car Series (ASCS)
Track: The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Texas)
Tony Stewart A-Main Finish (Start):
April 6th: 4th (6th)
April 7th: 15th/DNF (2nd)
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (April 9, 2018) – In conjunction with the NASCAR events at Texas Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart joined the ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series at The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway during the recent weekend, participating in, as well as promoting, the two-day Tony Stewart presents the Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals.
Aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Rush Truck Centers/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/No. 14 sprint car, Stewart qualified for each of the contested A-mains on Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, nearly earning back-to-back top-five finishes before mechanical issues wreaked havoc during the weekend finale.
“It was a great weekend for everyone involved. It gives NASCAR fans and dirt track fans an opportunity to connect and experience multiple forms of motorsports,” Tony Stewart said. “I think we had a shot at winning on Saturday. We were in a position to capitalize, but we ended up having some mechanical issues instead. We’ll have plenty of opportunities this year to get that one back.”
Tony Stewart opened his Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals campaign with a fourth place performance on Friday, April 6. The three-time NASCAR Cup champion qualified for A-main competition by advancing from third to first during his respective heat race, also earning the highest passing points total for the evening. In addition, the heat race finish also allowed Stewart to qualify for evening’s feature redraw.
As a result of the redraw, Stewart started sixth on the preliminary feature grid, eventually charging forward as high as second in the running order. Unfortunately for Stewart, a bobble on the final circuit would cost the Columbus, Ind., native a podium position, ultimately crossing under the final checkers fourth behind Sammy Swindell, Sam Hafertepe, and Seth Bergman. Despite being knocked off the podium, the top-four finish was enough to lock Stewart into the Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals A-main finale set for Saturday evening.
Redrawing the outside-pole position for the $4,000-to-win finale, Stewart led a portion of the Texas Sprint Car Nationals A-main on Saturday before mechanical issues took him out of winning contention. The issues occurred just beyond the midpoint of the 30-lap program while Stewart was battling for the top spot. Smoke was unable to return and was scored 15th.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans are encouraged to follow the progress of Tony Stewart, Tony Stewart Racing and the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/J&J Auto Racing motorsports team on the Web and on social media. More information can be found at www.tonystewartracing.com, as well as at www.tonystewart.com.
Tony Stewart: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TonyStewart/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TonyStewart
Tony Stewart Racing: Facebook at www.facebook.com/TonyStewartRacing or on Twitter and Instagram @TonyStewart_Rcg.
| 2018 Tony Stewart/Tony Stewart Racing Statistics: (thru April 7, 2018) |
| Total Races: 14 |
| Total Wins: 1 |
| Total Top-5s: 5 |
| Total Top-10s: 8 |
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CONTACT:
Tyler Altmeyer
Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com