Tony Stewart finally returns to Sprint Cup car

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 14: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, speaks with a crew member in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 14: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, speaks with a crew member in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 14: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, speaks with a crew member in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Last August NASCAR champion Tony Stewart saw his Sprint Cup season end abruptly. The part owner of Stewart-Haas Racing was competing in one of his many races away from the NASCAR circuit, a dirt race in Iowa, when he crashed and suffered a horrific fracture to his leg. Stewart missed the rest of the season and underwent several surgeries along with physical therapy. He skipped the preseason testing session at Daytona in January as he prepared for the 2014 season.

Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Stewart climbed back into a racecar for the first time since last August as the series took their first practice laps in preparation for Saturday nights Sprint Unlimited non-points race.

“It felt good,” Stewart said after his first practice session. “The great thing is there is zero percentage of pain in the car.  That was nice.  We will see what it feels like at 9 o’clock tonight, but so far so good.  That is better than I was hoping for, honestly.  I thought we would have some kind of ache, pain of some kind that would bother us.  It was like putting on an old pair of shoes again.” MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.