NASCAR: Tony Stewart to drive the pace car at Homestead
By Asher Fair
Tony Stewart is set to drive the pace car ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart returned behind the wheel of a Cup car under two weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas. Now he is set to return to the track ahead of a Cup Series race.
The 48-year-old Columbus, Indiana native is set to drive the pace car ahead of this Sunday’s 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Ford EcoBoost 400.
Stewart is set to lead the field to the green flag to get this 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Homestead, Florida underway, and he is set to do so from behind the wheel of a 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
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Homestead-Miami Speedway is the site of Stewart’s final Cup Series race before he retired. He competed in the 2016 season finale nearly three years ago after announcing in 2015 that the 2016 season would be his last.
He has, however, hinted on multiple occasions that he may return to NASCAR for an Xfinity Series race or two every once in a while.
Here is what Homestead-Miami Speedway track president Al Garcia had to say about Stewart driving the pace car ahead of this Sunday’s race, according to Motorsport.
"“Having Tony Stewart drive the pace car on Sunday is what hosting the championship is about. Stewart is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR and motorsports as a whole. He’s won in IndyCars, Sprint cars and much more and will always be known as having performed at the top level in multiple disciplines. We are thrilled that he will be a part of our championship race.”"
Stewart is the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which have one driver, Kevin Harvick, eligible to win this year’s championship in the Championship 4. The other three drivers, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, all drive for Joe Gibbs Racing.
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NBC’s live broadcast of the Ford EcoBoost 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 17. Tune in to catch Tony Stewart lead the 40-car field to the green flag, and stick around to see which of the four championship contenders will end up hoisting the trophy as the newest NASCAR Cup Series champion.