RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
RICHMOND, Va. — Tony Stewart drove his Chevrolet onto Richmond International Raceway‘s pit road this bright, sunny Sunday afternoon and after taking his helmet off and climbing out of the car, was all grins — proudly declaring he could have raced another 400 miles.
Stewart’s day — and his 19th-place finish — was nothing but encouraging for the three-time champion making his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start of the year. “Smoke” missed the first eight races of what is his final season, recovering from a broken back suffered in a pre-season all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident.
RELATED: Full coverage of Stewart’s injury, comeback
Leaning back against his car, Stewart was upbeat and excited while speaking with reporters at the track post-race. He sipped his Coca-Cola and reflected on his long-awaited, highly anticipated return to the NASCAR driving seat with the kind of positive vibes equal to that of a race winner.
“I love this job,” he declared. “If you asked me how I felt, I would be perfectly content to have them just line us up and start another 400-mile race right now. I can promise you I can outlast a bunch of these guys.
“I could run 800 more laps and still out-race a bunch of these guys. If anyone thinks we’ve lost something, we haven’t lost (expletive).”
MORE: Hear ‘Smoke’ on the radio
It was exactly the kind of confidence, high expectation and bravado that has characterized Stewart’s storied racing career. It’s also why the Richmond crowd gave him a standing ovation during driver introductions and why so many NASCAR fans are counting on the 48-time winner to finish his remarkable career on top. Or at least making a darn good run at it.
RELATED: Relive all of Stewart’s wins
Stewart described his weekend back behind the wheel as feeling “like an old pair of shoes” and said it only took him about 10 laps “to get reacclimated” with the car and his team.
Starting mid-pack, he ended up spending most of the race trying to earn the free pass to get back on the lead lap and, maddeningly, he would be one position shy of the lucky dog spot time-after-time.
At one point as he fought hard to stay on the lead lap and dueled with then-race leader — and eventual Toyota Owners 400 winner — Carl Edwards to hold onto position.
Edwards said after the race that he was impressed with Stewart’s effort.
“I was real happy he was back until about five laps into that battle,” Edwards said smiling. “Let me tell you, the guy is competitive. I was thinking during that, what a heckuva run to have (the) first time back in the driver’s seat. It’s great to have him back.”
“I made it interesting for him for about 15 laps,” Stewart proudly told his team on the radio after being lapped by Edwards a quarter of the way into the 400-lap event.
After the race Stewart said, “I felt like we ran a good race. “It’s so chaotic on the re-starts and I had a plan and I would try to execute my plan, but I zigged when I should have zagged every time for about four straight re-starts.
“You just didn’t know exactly where you needed to be, but that stuff will come.”
It wasn’t just Stewart’s first time turning laps this year, it was also his first time working with his new crew chief Mike Bugarewicz and the No. 14 driver seemed encouraged about that relationship too after the race.
“Being on the pit box with him and listening to him communicate really helped a bunch,” Stewart said of his time spent out of the car this season. “I think being as active with him as I could up to this point, really shortened the learning curve up.
“I know he’s going to sit there when we’re done and wonder, ‘what could I have done to communicate different?’ Really it was nice and just felt like it clicked so I don’t think there’s a big learning curve there. We get this car a little better and we’re going to have a lot of fun with it.”
Stewart said that — shortly after his comeback announcement — he won’t compete in the full 500-miler at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend, per doctor’s orders. But he will qualify the car, start the race and then hand over the steering wheel to Ty Dillon, who made three starts in Stewart’s Chevrolet while the veteran was recovering.
From there, it’s all Stewart, all the time. And he proved Sunday that he is not only back, but very glad to be back.
“I felt like I was doing everything I needed to do,” Stewart said. “And I bet you go up and down this pit road and ask those guys if they think I’m back and they’d be shaking their heads and going, ‘I don’t think that he was ever gone.’ “
MORE: Stewart granted Chaise waiver
