Tony Stewart officially announces retirement from full time NASCAR racing

Tony Stewart announced Wednesday that he will step away from full time racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after 2016 (Greg Engle/Getty Images)
Tony Stewart announced Wednesday that he will step away from full time racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after 2016 (Greg Engle/Getty Images)
Tony Stewart announced Wednesday that he will step away from full time racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after 2016
(Greg Engle/Getty Images)

NASCAR driver and team owner Tony Stewart announced Wednesday that he will step away from full time racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after 2016. The three time champion and one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers confirmed the widely reported news during a press conference at the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters in Huntersville North Carolina.

“This is a moment every driver eventually comes to terms with, and I know this is the right decision for me,” said Stewart, “2016 will be my last year in a Sprint Cup car, but it’s not my last year in NASCAR. I love this sport and I love being a part of it, and instead of seeing me in a firesuit on Sundays, you’ll see me in a pair of jeans, and maybe even a pair of khakis.”

Clint Bowyer will join Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017 as a replacement for Stewart. Bowyer is an eight-time winner in 11 Cup seasons with Richard Childress Racing and more recently Michael Waltrip Racing. That team recently announced that they will be shuttering after this season and had given Bowyer permission to seek other opportunities. 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.