“I am not going to own a team in NASCAR ever again.” Those were the words of Tony Stewart, who recently shuttered down Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024 because of increased operational costs and a difficult economic landscape. The news sent shockwaves through the stock car racing community, with many believing ‘Smoke’ was gone for good, diverting his energy and resources to the NHRA and other ventures. But now, it seems like the 54-year-old might make a sensational return, but fans aren’t buying it just yet.

According to the latest rumors, several legends are being linked to Ram’s return in the NASCAR world, with Tony Stewart leading the list. But for a driver who made his last Cup Series appearance in 2016,  the prospect of the Hall of Famer returning is hard to believe, and fans aren’t being shy about expressing their skepticism on social media.

Reports claim that Tony Stewart is interested in running a Truck

Even though Ram’s return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has been officially confirmed for 2026, there has been plenty of speculation about which teams and drivers will be involved in the operation. According to rumors, the reported plan includes a potential legends setup featuring familiar names such as Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and Kasey Kahne sharing driving duties. According to the report on SiriusXM, Mike Skinner and Angie also mentioned hearing that Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne might be interested in running races in the All-Star truck, adding more fuel to the fire

RAM CEO Tim Kuniskis recently addressed Tony Stewart’s rumored involvement, saying that there are no formal talks about acknowledging that Tony’s name continues to come up. In fact, earlier in the year, Kuniskis had said, “People said when I was at MIS and made this announcement, ‘Are you just fishing for a team to see who stands up?’ I didn’t hear anything from Tony, but we’ll see where this all ends up.” His comment suggests RAM is open to working with recognizable veterans rather than the current drivers already tied to other manufacturers.

The idea wouldn’t be out of place. After stepping away from NASCAR following the 2024 season, ‘Smoke’ is focused on his NHRA and sprint car operations, both of which are connected to Dodge. Earlier this year, he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he still plans to attend NASCAR events, saying he misses the people and the environment.

Tony Stewart said, “I’m definitely planning on coming back to NASCAR races. As a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, I get a hard card. I don’t know if NASCAR has the ability to revoke that or not, but until they do revoke it, I’m going to take advantage of having a hard card, and I definitely want to come back and see everybody. I miss a lot of things about NASCAR, and most of all the people. The people are what I enjoyed about it and the relationships I had there. Definitely looking forward to coming back and seeing everybody.”

With his wife, Leah Pruett, making a comeback to full-time NHRA competition next year, Stewart could have more flexibility to make occasional NASCAR appearances. Kasey Kahne has also been back in the mix, running the Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway in April 2025, his first national start since 2018. He qualified fourth and finished after an early setback, showing he still has the competitive speed. With all these reasons in place, the rumors are only growing stronger, and now the fans are more than excited to see it play out.

Fans are split over a possible Tony Stewart Truck run

When the rumors first broke, fans could hardly contain themselves. “Kasey Kahne Fridays have never been more back,” one wrote, echoing the collective joy of longtime supporters who had waited years for this kind of news.  Another added, ” Kasey Kahne in a Dodge(RAM) again? Things are looking right in the Motorsports world. If this works out, I hope Kasey will use some old Evernham/Dodge Throwbacks!” The idea of Kasey Kahne in a Dodge Ram sent waves of nostalgia through the sports community; it felt like the world of racing was aligning again.

But then came the second half of the rumor mill, Tony Stewart. The Internet split almost instantly. Some fans were stunned: “⁠⁠⁠I’d really be shocked if Tony is gonna run some truck races, he’s been so distant from NASCAR and has been having a good time with NHRA,” one admitted, pointing out how far away he’s been from NASCAR lately by thriving in NHRA. Another refused to buy into the prospect of Smoke’s sensational return, saying, “I will believe Tony gets in a truck when I see it.”

Others sharply noted with instant skepticism, with one fan writing, “⁠⁠I’m gonna need a better source than ‘I’ve heard.’ Tony has been very clear that he hates plate racing.” The train of shock followed with one fan writing, “No shot Tony Stewart races a truck. None.” The prospect of Kahne or Stewart behind the wheel is sending ripples of excitement within the NASCAR community, and with the off-season well and truly underway, it gives stock car racing enthusiasts something to look forward to in the coming months.