Stewart Finishes 25th at Talladega

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

It was a typical NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish to Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway when the field wrecked as the leaders took the green flag for the final restart. Unfortunately, Tony Stewart found himself caught up in the melee.

Despite a sorely tattered No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver was able to complete the final two laps around the superspeedway to score a 25th-place finish.

“I think it’s what you expect when you come to these races anymore,” Stewart said of the incident that led to the race concluding under caution. “Obviously, it’s not the finish we wanted for our Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy.”

Although he qualified 12th, Stewart was forced to start at the rear of the field due to a front-suspension change during prerace preparations on Sunday morning. Stewart settled into a game of preservation at the onset of the race, running a comfortable pace near the back of the field for the majority of the 500-mile event, which played out relatively quietly, with 132 laps being logged before the first caution was ever displayed.

As the laps wound down Stewart lay in wait, timing what he intended to be his final move to the front of the field. His efforts were slowed, however, when the engine expired on the No. 1 car of Jamie McMurray to bring out a caution with five laps to go. The incident set up what should have been the lone green-white-checkered flag finish. With nothing to lose, Stewart brought the No. 14 Chevy to pit road for four fresh tires and restarted the race in 26th place.

Cars started colliding before the race leader ever took the green flag, so NASCAR officials waved off the restart and set the field for one final attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish. As soon as the leaders took the green flag, numerous cars behind them started wrecking and collected Stewart in the process. The race was completed under caution, and Stewart finished the race in 25th place and on the lead lap.

While it was a tough day for Stewart the driver, it was a banner day for Stewart the car owner as he saw two of his drivers advance to the third round of the Chase for the Championship, the Eliminator Round.

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