Tony Stewart 15th at Phoenix

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 15th Sunday in his 28th and final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.

 

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m really going to miss this place,” Stewart said about the Arizona mile oval where he raced in open wheel, IndyCar and NASCAR races during his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career.

 

Stewart started 25th on Sunday, and it didn’t take long for the excitement to begin: Kyle Larson spun in turn three on the opening lap, and as the 40-car field attempted to avoid the sliding Larson, Stewart made contact with another car. The damage forced the No. 14 to pit lane, where the crew made minor repairs and returned him to the race in 39th place.

 

“That isn’t the way we wanted to begin today,” Stewart said over the team radio.

 

The three-time champion didn’t stay at the back of the pack for long, climbing to 22nd by the lap-80 mark despite an overheating engine due to the early damage. While on the wrong end of racing luck on the first lap Sunday, Stewart’s fortune changed as he battled to stay on the lead lap.

 

Seconds after leader Alex Bowman lapped Stewart on lap 81, Larson and Ryan Newman made contact coming to pit lane. Stewart earned the free pass when the caution came out and, since most of the field had already pitted before the caution, restarted the race in ninth. Stewart drifted back to 19th by the third caution of the race on lap 131.

 

“I’m not setting the world on fire, but this is the best the balance has been,” Stewart said at lap 167. The crew said his lap times were seventh fastest at the time.

 

Even the fast times weren’t enough to hold off the leaders who had caught Stewart by lap 212. But once again, fortune smiled when a caution gave Stewart his second free pass of the race, and he restarted in 18th with a little less than 100 laps remaining.

 

Stewart kept his position as the laps wound down and came for tires and fuel when the race went into overtime after leaders Bowman and Matt Kenseth wrecked and brought out the caution. In the three-lap shootout Stewart climbed to 15th before the checkered flag flew.

 

Sunday marked Stewart’s final run at Phoenix, where he has had a victory, eight top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes while leading 551 laps. Stewart has only next week’s season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway left in his stellar 18-year Sprint Cup career.

TSC PR

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