NASCAR Sprint Unlimited Rumors 2016: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Replaces Injured Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart's back injury caused by an ATV accident will sideline him indefinitely, which means he can no longer participate in the Sprint Unlimited at Dayton International Speedway this Saturday night. With this new development, someone else will be filling in for his spot — Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
The 75-lap race exhibition will be without one of NASCAR's biggest stars, but the addition of Stenhouse Jr. should give it an interesting twist. He will be joining another driver, Casey Mears, who also got the spot for the race when Jeff Gordon decided not to compete this year.
The way NASCAR picks those who fill in is based on driver points, which in this case are the points they accumulated during last year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Below is the list of the drivers who qualified for this year's exhibition and the areas/events where they gained eligibility:
2015 Coors Light Pole Awards
- AJ Allmendinger
- Kurt Busch
- Kyle Busch
- Carl Edwards
- Denny Hamlin
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmy Johnson
- Kasey Kahne
- Matt Kenseth
- Brad Keselowski
- Joey Logano
Former Sprint Cup Unlimited Winner
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Awards
- Greg Biffle
- Austin Dillon
- David Gilliland
- Danica Patrick
- Martin Truex Jr.
2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers
- Clint Bowyer
- Jamie McMurray
- Paul Menard
- Ryan Newman
2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship (Driver Points)
- Aric Almirola
- Kyle Larson
- Casey Mears
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The extent of Stewart's back injury is unknown, but multiple sources are saying that it is severe and certainly will cast doubt as to the 44-year-old racer's chances of coming back. According to Stewart-Haas Racing, they will be making an announcement as to who will be driving Stewart's car after they get more details on his condition.
The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion went under the knife last Wednesday to repair the injuries he suffered on Jan. 31 during an ATV ride in the desert of California.
