NASCAR fans went bonkers after Tony Stewart decided to return to stock car racing in 2026, as he signed up to race in the Truck Series. Stewart, paired with Kaulig Racing this season, will drive the RAM Truck at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday. However, he’s just increased that excitement further with a teaser, as this may not be Stewart’s final race this season.

Tony Stewart planning to stay after Daytona?

Speaking to the media ahead of the Truck Series race, Stewart kept his return open-ended as he refrained from burning the bridge. He said via John Newby on X, “I would have said this was one and done. But let’s just say, I’ll leave it open-ended at this point.”

This goes on to show that if Stewart manages to perform, one might expect him to make multiple appearances in the Truck Series this season. However, it’s still a far cry as Stewart now wants to perform at Daytona, a venue he chose for RAM’s return to NASCAR.

“I mean, this is RAM’s coming out party, so what better way to support RAM and Dodge and Stellantis than to do it at the biggest showcase of the year, the first race of the year at Daytona, so, want this to be good for RAM, want it to be good for a Kaulig,” Stewart said in an interview with motorsport.com on X.

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Stewart will drive the #25 RAM 1500 for Kaulig Racing in the Fresh From Florida 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. He will take part as a part of RAM’s new “Free Agent” program, a limited-entry initiative designed to feature veteran icons in NASCAR.

The race will also mark Stewart’s first-ever Truck Series entry at Daytona. However, he confirmed that he has no intention of running in the Cup or O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, at least this season.

With the entry into the Truck Series race, Tony Stewart will bridge the decade-long gap with NASCAR. His last race with NASCAR was the 2016 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the season-ending race of that season.

Most importantly, the 54-year-old’s last race in the Truck Series came way before that — in 2005, when he participated in the MBNA RacePoints 200 at the Dover Motor Speedway. That was the time when racing in NASCAR was quite different compared to 2026, something Joey Logano specifically mentioned.

Joey Logano has a warning for Tony Stewart ahead of Daytona return

As Tony Stewart is set to enter the Truck Series at Daytona, fellow three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has a warning for him. Speaking to the media ahead of the Daytona national series races, the Team Penske driver said:

“He’s gonna realize how much the world has changed since he was here last. Because what used to happen on the racetrack compared to what it is now has just changed a lot, just the level of aggression, the moves that are made are just different than what they used to be. I’m interested to see what he thinks. I’m excited to watch him. I think it’s a huge story. I’m up in the booth for it, so I’m excited to watch it.”

Notably, the trucks have seriously evolved between 2005 and 2026, that’s two decades. Even though the horsepower of the engines is still the same, the engine type has changed from custom manufacturer V8s to Spec Ilmor NT1 V8s, from carburetor as fuel delivery to electronic fuel injection, among many others.

The changes inside the trucks mean there are fundamental changes in the handling of the cars, something Tony Stewart needs to get used to, even though he is an active hot rod racer. With that said, it will be interesting to see how “Smoke” performs when the RAM engine roars at Daytona this week.