Tony Stewart will not compete at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. This is the third straight race that he has missed since the sprint car he was driving at Canandaigua (N.Y) Motorsports Park on August 9th was involved in an accident which claimed the life of 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr.
Stewart-Haas Racing made the announcement Wednesday that Jeff Burton will sit in for Stewart for the second consecutive week for the race at Bristol. Burton also replaced Stewart last week at Michigan. Regan Smith took over the driving duties of the No. 14 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen in the first race following the incident.
The statement from Stewart-Haas Racing noted that “the driver change pertains only to Bristol. Stewart’s plans for upcoming Sprint Cup races have yet to be determined.”
In a press conference held on August 15th at Michigan International Speedway, Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Brett Frood emphasized that the decision not to race was made by Stewart.
“This decision was Tony’s,” he said, “an emotional week for him. He’s grieving. Made the decision he’s not ready to get in the racecar and will take it week by week. It will be up to Tony when he’s ready to get back in the car.”
Stewart is currently 25th in the Sprint Cup standings after having missed two races. However, as Frood stated last week, “the Chase is of the lowest priority as it relates to Tony right now.”
