Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has shared an update after he ran into car issues on his NHRA return following a violent crash in Maple Grove last weekend.
The 54-year-old returned to the cockpit for the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway this weekend, but he was forced to shut the car down during Q1 in order to investigate an erratic cylinder.
“After my incident in Maple Grove last weekend, I was ready to get back on the horse,” Stewart shared in an update on social media.
“We rolled up for Q1, did the burnout, and identified an erratic cylinder on the backup. My crew chief, Neal, made the right call to shut the car down and skip the run rather than yard-sale a #HEMI.
“Back in the pit, the hunt for the culprit was on — but no dice. We couldn’t identify what caused cylinder #2 to turn into a fire-breathing dragon at idle RPM. That forced us to build from the block up and get things turned around for the hero session.
“We rolled back to the line with a fresh digger and no useful data since we hadn’t made the Q1 run, played it safe — and still laid down a clean, respectable 3.760 ET @ 329.67 MPH, good enough for the provisional #9 qualifying spot heading into Saturday with two more cracks at it.
“The Countdown has shown us no mercy thus far, but we’ll keep fighting for it.”
This comes after Stewart suffered a violent crash with Doug Kalitta at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania last week. The pair collided after the finish line when Kalitta’s front left tire blew.
“I just wanted to thank all of our fans, teammates, and most of all our racing family for checking on us yesterday. Wasn’t the day we had planned, but thankful to the @NHRA Safety Safari and Dr. Surface for making sure we did all the right things in that situation,” Stewart explained at the time, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports.
“It definitely could have been way worse. Everyone that climbs into a racecar knows it can happen at any moment, but it’s a great example of how we’re all human and how the entire racing community cares for each other. I’m sore today, but that’s to be expected.
“Can’t wait to get back to the track Friday and continue this amazing battle for a World Championship.”