Tony Stewart’s second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start of the season ended early at Talladega Superspeedway when a multi-truck crash took him out of the race on lap 17.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer had qualified 29th but moved up 11 positions within the first 15 laps, showing strong early speed. The promising run came apart when Stewart Friesen lost control of his No. 52 Toyota Tundra on the backstretch, triggering a nine-truck wreck that collected Stewart’s truck along with several others.
It marked the second short outing for Stewart this year. Back in February, he returned to NASCAR competition driving the No. 25 Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing, a race that also ended in a crash, that time after 39 laps.
Speaking after the Talladega crash, Stewart put the incident down to the unpredictable nature of racing at a superspeedway.
“Yeah, it’s just a racing deal,” Stewart said, per the Associated Press. “That’s part of it. Stewart (Friesen) couldn’t go anywhere. He had an issue, and he’s stuck in the middle. So he was doing the best he could to hang onto it, and just everybody around him got caught up in it.”
There are no confirmed plans yet for Stewart to return to the Truck Series, though the strong early pace of his truck before the crash suggests he could be a contender if he gets another shot.
The race itself went to Spire Motorsports driver Sammy Smith, who took the checkered flag in overtime for his first career Truck Series win. The victory came on the same day Smith’s full-time move to Tricon Garage for next season was announced.
