Race Weekend Central

2014 NASCAR Driver Review: Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart

2014 Ride: No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
2014 Crew Chief: Chad Johnston
2014 Points Finish: 25th
2014 Stats: 33 starts, zero wins, three top fives, seven top 10s, one pole, 125 laps led, four DNFs, 16.5 average start, 20.0 average finish
2014 Best Finish: fourth, twice (Bristol I, Martinsville II)

High Point: After the accident at Canandaigua Speedway that claimed Kevin Ward Jr.’s life, fans cheered Tony Stewart’s return to the track, and if there were any boos, those people couldn’t be heard. That said, following a fourth-place finish at Martinsville, it was one of the first times you could see Stewart smiling that big smile that meant things were alright. It was a race where he led 18 laps and could have easily taken the victory too.

Low Point: The 2014 season marked the first time since joining the series that Stewart did not visit victory lane. He came close, especially late in the season, but the cards didn’t fall right for the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet. In what has been the worst season of his career, Stewart failed to finish on the lead lap in an astonishing 13 races, and of those, four were DNFs. It’s not exactly the type of performance you expect from a three-time champion.

Summary: In a season where the No. 14 team was out to lunch for most race setups, it was a dismal season at best. Without a single trip to victory lane and fewer top fives and top 10s than any season in his career, including his rookie season, Stewart would probably like to just forget the 2014 season existed. That said, expanding to a four-car team probably didn’t help. Righting the ship begins with the race setups and being in position to fine tune the cars, rather than figure out where the speed is each week.

2014 Outlook: After back-to-back seasons with multiple races missed, Stewart will be back in the No. 14 Chevrolet planning to complete the entire schedule. Barring any major problems, he’ll run alongside teammates Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick. I’d like to say he’ll be back in victory lane again, but the entire No. 14 team was out to lunch most of the season. Until that improves, winning is the least of Stewart’s concerns.

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