After qualifying a season-best sixth and running strong in the practice sessions leading up to Monday’s rain-postponed Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Tony Stewart was poised for a strong finish. Unfortunately, an accident derailed those chances, leaving Stewart a disappointing 34th.
Stewart was a stalwart among the top-10, but following a lap-93 restart, cars stacked up through turn one of the 2.5-mile triangle. As the field exited the corner, the jockeying intensified. Stewart got loose and tangled with his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick, slapping the outside SAFER Barrier.
As Stewart’s No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS was towed back to the garage area, the three-time Sprint Cup champion was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
Stewart then stood by while crew members went to work on his battered machine. In a very short amount of time, a lot of repair work was completed. With 39 laps remaining in the 160-lap race, Stewart returned to the track in 38th position.
Through the attrition of others and the tenaciousness of Stewart and the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team, Stewart picked up four spots to finish 34th.
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