Tony Stewart crashes out at Talladega after climbing to 18th
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 24, 2026
Stewart charges
Tony Stewart showed speed before Talladega turned rough. He started deep in the field and climbed from 29th to 18th in the opening 15 laps, working his way into the top 20 in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. That run gave him a short window of progress in a race that demanded patience and survival. Stewart came into the event fourth in the standings with two races left, and the Talladega appearance marked his second Truck Series start of the season after a long absence. The run also offered a reminder of how quickly a superspeedway race can change, even after a driver gains ground.
Stewart Friesen slows
The race changed on lap 17 when Stewart Friesen slowed after a cut tire and the field stacked up three wide near Turn 2. The pileup grew fast from there and turned into a nine-truck crash. Stewart was caught in it, and the impact sent his truck and Friesen’s truck into the outside wall. The wreck destroyed Stewart’s No. 25 Kaulig Racing RAM and ended his day at Talladega. Garrett Mitchell, known on YouTube as Cleetus McFarland, was also collected in the crash and finished last. The sequence came after Stewart had already moved forward from his starting spot, so the incident erased the progress he had made in the opening laps. Talladega has a reputation for compressing the field and punishing small mistakes, and this crash showed how quickly a single problem can spread through traffic when trucks are stacked close together. One slowdown and one three-wide squeeze were enough to trigger a pileup that swept up several competitors and changed the outcome of the race for Stewart and others involved.
Talladega aftermath
Stewart addressed the moment over the radio with a brief update that matched the severity of the hit. “Knocked the wind out of me. I’m good,” he said. He was checked and released from the infield care center soon after the wreck. That quick trip through the care center offered the clearest positive note from a day that otherwise ended in damage and disappointment. Stewart left Talladega with his truck destroyed. Stewart is set to return to full-time NHRA Top Fuel racing, which gives this Truck Series appearance another layer of context. The Talladega run became a short burst of progress, a hard hit in traffic and a quick exit from the infield care center.
