Five hundred miles at Atlanta Motor Speedway takes a long time, and when you’re struggling with an ill-handling racecar, it takes even longer. Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race took three hours and 49 minutes to complete. For Tony Stewart, it felt like an eternity.
Stewart, the three-time Sprint Cup champion, finished 30th in the 325-lap race around the 1.54-mile oval.
From the drop of the green flag, Stewart was already playing from behind. He started 39th in the 43-car field after NASCAR’s technical inspection process on Friday dragged on so long that 13 drivers, including Stewart, were never able to make a qualifying lap. Stewart took a provisional to make the race, and was joined by fellow champions Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson at the back of the field.
On a cold and raw raceday, Stewart was only able to climb to as high as 18th. His Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) was too tight on the exit of the corners, where Stewart described his racecar as “tripping on the right front”.
Despite numerous and, at times, major adjustments to the No. 14 machine, the car responded only moderately when dramatic change was needed. This included a pit stop on lap 183 where under caution, crew chief Chad Johnston ordered the hood to be raised so rounds of wedge could be taken out of the left-front and right-front corners.
Stewart continued his wrestling match with the steering wheel and with about 50 laps to go, started gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, Stewart was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 306 that significantly damaged the right side of the Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy.
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