BRISTOL, Tenn. — Tony Stewart was honored by fans at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Fans at the track were given signs of the No. 14 by the speedway and asked to hold them up and honor the driver of the car of that number on the 14th lap. Stewart, who is retiring from NASCAR racing after this season, is making his final Sprint Cup start at Bristol.
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The signs were held up but with so much going on at the track, Stewart said that he didn’t really see the tribute. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it.
Talking to NBC during a red-flag period for rain on Lap 38, Stewart said that he had his hands full with his car so he wasn’t looking at the stands.
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“I’m having a hard time just staying where I want to be on the racetrack,” he said. “That’s pretty cool. I’m sure I’ll get to see it on a replay ... That’s a huge honor. This is such a cool racetrack that I’m sad it’s my last one here but I’ve had some pretty good memories here.”
Stewart has one win in his career at Bristol. He has 10 top-10 finishes, seven of them top fives, at the track. He also had an infamous helmet-throwing incident here with Matt Kenseth.