Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart announced at a press conference on Wednesday that 2016 would be his last season as part of the chase, according to Tom Jensen of Fox Sports. Stewart will be replaced behind the wheel of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in 2017 by Clint Bowyer.
The 44-year-old Stewart made the announcement at Stewart-Haas' shops in Kannapolis, North Carolina, stating that it was "100 percent" his choice, according to Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press.
"There wasn't any pressure from anybody," Stewart said, per Fryer. "If anything, it was the opposite. I know people were trying to talk me out of it. It's a scenario where everybody in their career makes the decision that it's time for a change."
Stewart, despite putting together a hall-of-fame resume that includes 48 race wins, 182 top-fives, 299 top-10's and 15 poles in 583-career races, has not won a race in two years, with his most recent victory a June 2, 2013 win at Dover. Stewart made it clear though that while he's stepping away from NASCAR, that he isn't done racing.
"I am still going to race," he said, per Fryer. "I am not retiring from racing, just the Sprint Cup Series."
He'll also continue on in NASCAR as part-owner of Stewart-Haas.
Stewart has had a difficult year. He was involved in a tragic incident that claimed the life of young racer Kevin Ward Jr. Despite the circumstances surrounding Ward's untimely death, Stewart was cleared of any wrongdoing. He admitted later that the three weeks immediately following the accident were the "darkest of his life."
He continues to maintain his belief that he did nothing wrong.
On Wednesday, he said that Ward's death did not play a part in his decision to retire.
Bowyer, recently released from his contract with Michael Waltrip Racing, will continue looking for a one-year stop-gap deal until Stewart's final season, and career, run its course.
