INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Stewart Racing’s sprint car program is downsizing next season.
Team owner Tony Stewart confirmed to SPEED SPORT Thursday at the PRI Trade Show that the team will not field the No. 14 entry that Stewart has typically campaigned at various events throughout the country the last few years.
Instead, the team will focus solely on the No. 15 sprint car piloted by 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz.
“Unfortunately it’s a year where I need to park my car and focus on other things,” Stewart said. “The good thing is it’s not going anywhere, I’m not selling anything and it’ll be there when I’m ready to come back.”
Stewart, who earned an All Star Circuit of Champions victory last April at Virginia Motor Speedway, stepped out of the No. 14 sprint car midway through the season in order to focus on other business endeavors.
He handed the reigns of the No. 14 entry to Kerry Madsen, who piloted the car to victories with the All Star Circuit of Champions and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
Stewart’s business endeavors have continued to grow since he stepped out of the No. 14 sprint car. In addition to his roles as owner or co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, the Superstar Racing Experience, the All Star Circuit of Champions and Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, he’s adding an NHRA program to his resume next season.
“I’ve got a lot of projects going on,” Stewart said. “Between the four Cup teams, an Xfinity team, Donny’s car with the World of Outlaws, the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car series, the All Star Circuit of Champions TQ (midget) series, our race track at Eldora and two NHRA teams that we just added to our portfolio, I’ve got a lot of projects going on.”
All of that is keeping Stewart extremely busy, so much so that the made the choice to step away from sprint car racing, at least for the time being.
“I’m not retiring, but we want to make sure we give the right amount of time to the new projects, plus the existing ones,” Stewart said. “We want to get the Cup program back on par. I’m not the reason it’s not on par, but I want to make sure I’m a little more active with the group down there so they know that I’m supporting them and trying to help.
“I want to make sure we want to finish this Ford motor project and get it dialed in exactly the way Donny wants it and make sure that I’m going my now wife (Leah Pruett) and Matt Hagan get cars to drive on the NHRA side.”