NASCAR: Tony Stewart to return behind the wheel of a Cup car

For the first time since he retired from NASCAR Cup Series competition, Tony Stewart is set to return behind the wheel of a Cup car this week.

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart announced in 2015 that the 2016 Cup Series season would be his last.

After the 2016 season, the then 45-year-old did, in fact, decide to call it a career, retiring after winning championships in the 2002, 2005 and 2011 seasons and winning 49 races.

But now the 48-year-old Columbus, Indiana native is set to return behind the wheel of a Cup car, albeit not actually in a Cup Series race.

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The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner is set to drive the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in a demonstration at Circuit of the Americas ahead of this Sunday’s Formula 1 race, the United States Grand Prix.

Stewart drove the #14 car when it was the #14 Chevrolet during his time at Stewart-Haas Racing from 2009 to 2016 following a 10-year stint with Joe Gibbs Racing to open up his career behind the wheel of the #20 car, first a Pontiac, then a Chevrolet and then a Toyota.

He hasn’t driven a Cup car since Sunday, November 20, 2016. But that is set to change on Thursday, October 31.

Here is what he had to say about the opportunity, according to NASCAR.

"“It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s been three years since I last drove a stock car, but seeing some of these road-course races – especially the Roval at Charlotte – have piqued my interest a bit, so this is a good way to sort of satisfy that hunger. I’ve never been to COTA. All I know about it is what I’ve seen on TV and on my iRacing simulator. I kind of like that. Even after two decades in NASCAR, there’s still new stuff to experience. I haven’t driven that race track and Kevin and Romain haven’t ever driven a stock car. We’ll figure it out together.”"

Stewart-Haas Racing’s other co-owner, Gene Haas, owns the Haas Formula 1 team. Their drivers are Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, and Stewart’s #14 Ford is set to be outfitted with a passenger seat for him to show these two drivers how to wheel a 3,200-pound stock car around the lone purpose-built Formula 1 track in the United States.

The Cup Series, meanwhile, will be just a few hours north of the 20-turn, 3.427-mile (5.515-kilometer) Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas, as their round of 8 playoff race is scheduled to take place Sunday afternoon in the Lone Star State as well.

The AAA Texas 500 is scheduled to take place at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, and it is scheduled to get underway about an hour after the lights are scheduled to go out to get the United States Grand Prix started.

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The United States Grand Prix itself is the 19th of 21 races on the 2019 Formula 1 schedule, and it is scheduled to get underway at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 3. It is set to be broadcast live on ABC from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 2:05 p.m. ET. Lewis Hamilton has a chance to become a six-time world champion in this race depending on where he and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas finish.

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