Tony Stewart’s final NASCAR ride hits bumpy snag

The exit plan for Tony Stewart has gone horribly wrong.

He never really wanted a parade of roses in this, his final NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Stewart, as many know, isn’t big on touchy-feely moments. All he wanted to do was ride it out and race. That won’t be happening anytime soon.

Stewart suffered a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident recently. Stewart needed surgery and is out for the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 – missing his last shot to win the Great American Race. There is no timetable for his return, although based on perspective from doctors, any time earlier than May would be pushing it.

A replacement driver is expected to be named later this week.

“The last few weeks, it was obvious just how much Tony was looking forward to his final season and that one last shot to win the Daytona 500,” said Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Fox analyst. “So this is a true gut punch for him as a driver.”

Stewart was driving around in a dune buggy, having fun with other drivers, including Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon, when the incident happened. He got separated from the pack and came crashing down hard after coming off a steep hill on a sand dune. It took over an hour for the rest of the group to find him.

“When we got there, he was laying on his back outside the car,” Gordon told FoxSports.com. “It was pretty obvious that he was in a lot of discomfort. I’ll tell you, he’s one tough guy, man. Because you knew he was in pain, but he never complained. He never said one thing other than, ‘It’s my lower back.’ My gosh, he’s so tough. I would have been screaming like a baby.”

Stewart’s scenario constitutes piling on, considering all the other stuff that has gone in his life.

The guy nicknamed “Smoke” has lost his feistiness over the last few years. The trigger points are obvious, most notably a dirt-track tragedy at New York’s Canandaigua Motorsports Park in August 2014. Kevin Ward Jr. was sideswiped by Stewart’s car and died after Ward Jr. had scrambled out of his car, furious at Stewart, for an accident on the previous lap.

Even though Stewart was absolved of any blame by a grand jury, Ward’s family could not let it go and has filed a civil lawsuit.

The physical toll includes a long and painful rehab after breaking a leg in a dirt-track racing accident in 2013.

In 2015, Stewart finished 28th in the points standings with just three Top-10 finishes.

He will retire this season as a three-time Cup champion, with odds of winning a fourth title seriously stacked against him.

“You’re injured; you feel terrible and like you let the team down,” Waltrip said. “Then you have to watch someone else drive your car. Add to that the fact this is his final year, when all kinds of farewells probably were planned along the way, and it’s nearly an indescribable feeling.”

Tony Stewart’s ride is officially bumpy, much like the last three seasons.