Tony Stewart’s “One-and-Done” Plan Quietly Cracks as a Mystery Trophy Sparks Intriguing NASCAR Future
Jan 29, 2026 | 6:34 AM EST
Tony Stewart’s “One-and-Done” Plan Quietly Cracks as a Mystery Trophy Sparks Intriguing NASCAR Future
Jan 29, 2026 | 6:34 AM EST
Tony Stewart’s NASCAR return to the Truck Series with Kaulig Racing kept the masses hyped, but it was understood to be a single run at the season-opening Daytona 500 weekend. However, more might be coming its way, as Stewart recently realized there is a prize he finds quite attractive. So much so that he might as well consider changing his future plans.
Tony Stewart is rethinking his NASCAR plans
“Tim neglected to tell me ’til today that there’s a trophy,” said Stewart. He has been chasing achievements all his life. He moved to NHRA after winning three Cup Series championships, and while he is making a striking return to the Truck Series with Kaulig Racing, he seems to be chasing the trophies again.
“I would love to sit here and go, ‘Man, this is just one and done.’ I would say my answer is, I don’t have an answer,” Stewart said. “I would say, before we spoke today, and before he mentioned that there was a trophy and an award for this particular truck and who gets the most points in it, I would have said this was one and done. But let’s just say, I’ll leave it open-ended at this point.”
Imago
RAM Trucks
RAM, whose Trucks Kaulig Racing will use in their debut season, has been making the most of their entry in the series. CEO Tim Kuniskis also announced a trophy for the free agent who scores the most points in the #25 Truck, which Tony Stewart will drive. Understandably, with the trophy involved, Stewart feels the drive to participate in more races. While he has currently left the question open to interpretation, it wouldn’t be wrong to expect him to make a comeback. Stewart was one of the most influential drivers on the field at that time. Since his co-owned Stewart-Haas Racing shut down, this seems to be the closest way to get back to a few races in NASCAR.
The #25 is part of a free-agent driver programme introduced by Ram Trucks. As he hinted, many popular drivers could return to drive it; however, Stewart is the only guaranteed entrant right now. Although he isn’t very seasoned in the Truck Series, he was earlier expected to handle the pressure quite easily, considering most of the drivers in the Series are not very experienced. But the picture is now changing.
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Stewart expected to face more challenges at his Truck Series return
The last time Tony Stewart raced a Truck in NASCAR was back in 2005. Over the years, he participated in only six races but won two of them. While his stats look strong despite limited regular participation, his recent experience racing in the Series might prove to be a turning point.
Earlier, Stewart seemed to be the only strong contender for the Daytona race later in February. However, Henderson Motorsports recently made a major announcement: Corey LaJoie, a veteran with 276 Cup starts, will also return to the Truck Series at Daytona.
Did I mention how much I love trucks? https://t.co/gpnBDmdzHU
— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) January 26, 2026
LaJoie had raced in the series just last year, and although he wasn’t exactly the dominant force on the field, he did have really strong, consistent performances. He could prove to be a challenge for Stewart in the race. But it doesn’t end here.
John Hunter Nemechek, Jimmie Johnson’s driver in the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club, will also be running the race as a special entrant for Halmar Friesen Racing. He also has plenty of experience in the series, with this being his 150th entry with 13 past race wins.
These two drivers could certainly be the dominating forces, along with Tony Stewart, in the race. But it will be interesting to see who emerges on top. And if it does happen to be Stewart, will he race in the series again in 2026? After all, that trophy is too prestigious for him.
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