Tony Stewart was happy to be back in a race car for the first time in his final Sprint Cup season after missing eight races because of a back injury.
"The other guys did a good job filling in for me, but I like how it feels right now,” Stewart told his crew chief Michael Bugarewicz before the race.
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Even though "Smoke" had to battle back from a blown tire that put him a lap down, he wanted to keep racing — after a cold beer, of course.