Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
Tony Stewart can at least take solace in one good thing coming out of Daytona.
The driver of the No 14 Bass Pro Chevrolet was having a good night in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, coming off a huge win last weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The Columbus, Indiana native was running in the top-10 and at some points the top-five all night long – until 13 laps to go when he got loose down the backstretch and crashed into the wall.
“I got loose into one there,” Smoke quoted. “Hadn’t been loose all day, but I got loose there and then over-corrected for it and drove it in the fence. So definitely my fault.”
The three-time Sprint Cup Champion had reason to celebrate even though he finished the race in the 26th position. Going into the race weekend at Daytona, the Indy Racing League champion was siting 31st in the championship standings, however, after the race the American driver was able to move into 30th position in the standings because Brian Scott fell out of the race early on and Smoke received more points at the end of the night. Notably, virtue of having a victory this season, if he is 30th in points or higher in the points standings, he will make the chase at the end of the season and be in contention to win the championship despite missing the first couple months of racing due to an off-season injury.
