Tony Stewart “Smokes ‘Em” To Win Sunshine State Sprint Car Shootout Opener At Bubba Raceway Park
Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – Another Florida visit equaled another Florida victory for Columbus, Indiana’s Tony Stewart, this time conquering the Sunshine State Sprint Car Shootout opener at Bubba Raceway Park on Friday evening, November 9. For Smoke, the United Sprint Car Series (USCS) 360 victory bumped his season win total to four, now with three during USCS competition.
Smoke’s visit to the northern Florida venue was nearly flawless on Friday night, first charging from sixth to finish second during heat race action, ultimately setting up a front row starting position for the 25-lap main event. From that point forward, it was the ‘Smoke Show,’ utilizing the pole position to dominate all 25 circuits of the Sprint Car Shootout.
Stewart owns USCS victories at Magnolia Motor Speedway, Southern Raceway, and now Bubba Raceway Park.
“It feels good to come down here and get a win. The season is all but over, but it’s nice to be able to escape to Florida for a few days and race at Bubba Raceway Park. I owe it all to the guys standing behind me,” Stewart explained, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Rush Truck Centers/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/No. 14 sprint car. “They bust their butts week in and week out. The schedule we put together wasn’t easy, by any means. It’s a lot of work and a lot of travel, but times like this make it all worth it.”
Unfortunately, Stewart was unable to repeat success on Saturday evening during the Sunshine State Sprint Car Shootout finale at Bubba Raceway Park. Smoke would end the weekend with a 12th place performance after starting on the inside of row three. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion qualified for main event action by finishing fourth during his respective heat race.
Stewart’s visit to Bubba Raceway Park concluded his 2018 winged sprint car campaign. A season comprised of nearly 70 starts, Smoke will enter the off-season with not only four victories, but also 39 top-ten finishes, 28 of which occurring inside the top-five.
Of Stewart’s four wins, one was attained during All Star Circuit of Champions competition; the result of an impressive charge from fifth to earn a $5,000 payday at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania. With that said, Stewart qualified for 30 All Star main events in 2018, amassing 14 top-ten finishes and seven top-fives. Smoke’s most recent All Star success took shape at Outlaw (N.Y.) Speedway on Friday, September 14; Stewart finished sixth.
