(WNFL) – Tony Stewart – from Columbus, Indiana – will take his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at The Brickyard.
In 17 starts at Indy, Stewart boasts two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s and 227 laps led. He also owns the second-best average finish (9.6) and third-highest average running position (11.6)
Stewart heads to the 2.5-mile track with plenty of momentum. He has three top-five finishes in his last four starts, including a runner-up showing last Sunday at New Hampshire and a win at Sonoma.
For his career, the No. 14 Chevrolet driver claims three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, 49 wins, 105 top fives, 305 top 10s, and 12,818 laps led.
A 50th win would tie Stewart with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 11th on the all-time list. Every eligible driver with as many wins as Stewart is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“It’s a big deal to us to win here (at Indianapolis),” Stewart said. “This is an event that I definitely circle on the schedule and emotionally have a lot invested in it. To us, it’s definitely not just another stop that’s on the calendar and on the schedule. You don’t just pull in and say, ‘we’re going to go in, try to win the race and then pull out of here.’ When you’re here, you’re amped up because you’re at Indianapolis.”
Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will take the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet in Sunday’s Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard as a substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has not been cleared by physicians to compete in at least the next two contests as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms
Hendrick Motorsports couldn’t have a better fill-in. Gordon boasts a track-record five victories at Indianapolis and also boasts 12 top fives, 17 top 10s and three poles at the iconic track.
A surefire future NASCAR Hall of Famer, Gordon ranks third on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins list with 93 victories. For his career, he boasts 325 top fives, 475 top 10s and 81 Coors Light Pole Awards.
Gordon, who spent the majority of his developmental years in Pittsboro, Indiana, won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis as a second-year driver in 1994.
