A decade after saying goodbye to the sport, Tony Stewart is once again all the rage in the NASCAR world, thanks to a famous comeback taking shape ahead of the 2026 season’s inaugural race. And now that he’s back on the grid, albeit for only one race, there are talks growing of Stewart possibly returning to the Cup Series, too. And the three-time former Cup Series champion has a straightforward answer for the same.
Tony Stewart Delivers a Crystal-Clear Answer to Possible Cup Series Participation and Daytona 500 Return
About a year ago, RAM Trucks CEO Tim Kuniskis reached out to Stewart with an offer that felt like a Hail Mary effort. Kuniskis wanted Stewart to return to NASCAR Racing via the Truck Series, given RAM was on the verge of joining the grid as the fourth OEM.
Stewart, who had left the sport following the 2016 season, has maintained that he has no interest in returning to the Cup Series, but the opportunity to drive in the Truck Series sounded “fun” to him. Thus, to the shock of many, including his wife Leah Pruett, the 54-year-old agreed to do a one-off race for RAM.
While Stewart said that he is only taking things one at a time, fans can’t help but speculate about the 54-year-old possibly taking on a bigger driving role in the days to come. As such, there has been immense chatter about Stewart returning to the Daytona 500 as well, and the guest Kaulig Racing driver has taken it upon himself to put it all to rest.
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Speaking to the NASCAR media ahead of the Fresh from Florida 250 (via Motorsport), Stewart outrightly rejected the idea of a Cup Series return. He maintained that, irrespective of how things turn out during the Truck Series race, he will absolutely steer clear of the Daytona 500.
“We can lead every lap tomorrow night, and I will not be back here for the Daytona 500. I’m pretty good after all these years of saying never. You will not see me here for the Daytona 500.”
The 54-year-old added that it’s the race that makes a driver money. However, it’s also the thing that Stewart doesn’t “give two s** about over here.”All he cares about is doing what he can to get in the truck and get himself to win the race.
Notably, none of this means that Stewart will be taking it easy when the race goes green. He issued a stern warning to the younger driver on the track in case they were thinking of coming up with bad blocks on the tracks. Should they try something ‘fancy,’ the former Cup Series champion won’t sit back quietly.
Another thing working against Stewart’s Cup Series return is the leaked conversation between Steve O’Donnell and Steve Phelps that talked about putting a knife in the SRX series. The Stewart co-owned series was on a quick rise and had NASCAR’s top brass worried, and it was shut down within three years of operations.
Given the same, Stewart’s relationship with the sport’s management has turned even more sour, almost reaching a point of no return.
At the end of it all, even if Stewart enjoys his return to NASCAR racing with the Truck Series, he maintains that the comeback will remain a one-off occurrence with no scope for Cup Series racing in the future.