Stewart Finishes 24th at Texas

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 24th in the Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Stewart appeared poised for a solid run early in the 334-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval, working his way up to eighth from his 11th-place starting spot within the first 15 laps. A lack of forward drive was the only issue reported by the three-time Sprint Cup champion during the early stages of the race, and he was running lap times comparable to his nearest competitors.

The team used the first caution period on lap 31 as an opportunity to make a minor track bar adjustment to the No. 14 Chevy in an effort to give Stewart the grip he needed to get off the turns. But when green-flag racing resumed, Stewart quickly reported that the car would not handle during the first couple of laps, specifically saying he was “wrecking loose.”

The car would finally settle into a more comfortable handling position as the run wore on, but the tight issue would show itself at various points in subsequent runs. During each restart, however, Stewart would lose a handful of positions – something that was hard to overcome with the long green-flag runs that enabled the field to spread out. It was a problem that persisted throughout the race.

In an effort to pick up track position, crew chief Chad Johnston gambled during a late caution period that saw the majority of the field come to pit road. With only a few laps on the tires, Johnston told Stewart to stay out, placing him seventh for the restart on lap 268. Stewart was able to hold his own for a couple of laps but was soon overcome by the fresher tires of his counterparts.

Stewart and Johnston continued to work on the car’s handling, making various adjustments from air pressure to track bar to wedge in an effort to cure what ailed the No. 14 machine. At times the handling seemed to come around, but nothing improved the car’s performance during the first two to three laps of a run, relegating the two-time Texas winner (fall 2006 and 2011) to a 24th-place result.

While tough times continued for the No. 14 team, the good times rolled yet again for SHR’s Kevin Harvick. Driving the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, Harvick started second and finished second, leading nine times for 96 laps to bring his laps-led total at Texas to 104. It was his fifth top-five in 25 career Sprint Cup starts at Texas, his fourth second-place finish of 2015 and his sixth top-five this season. Harvick has finished among the top-10 in 10 straight races dating back to last November at Texas.

TSC PR