KANNAPOLIS, NC – Tony Stewart has decided not to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Veteran driver Jeff Burton, a winner of 21 Sprint Cup races, will pilot the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in place of Stewart. This driver change pertains only to Michigan. Stewart’s plans for upcoming Sprint Cup races have yet to be determined. Burton, along with SHR executive vice president Brett Frood and SHR vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli, will meet with media Friday at Michigan. Stewart was involved in a sprint car accident last Saturday night when a driver died after Stewart’s car hit him when the driver climbed from his car and apparently tried to confront Stewart during a caution period. Regan Smith drove Stewart’s No. 14 in last Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen and Stewart cancelled his entry in another sprint car race this week. Since the accident Stewart has not been seen publically but has issued a statement expressing his grief over the accident. The driver who died, 20-year-old Kevin Ward, was laid to rest Wednesday in his home town of Fort Leyton, New York. The accident is under investigation by the local sherrif’s department who have indicated they expect it to take at least two weeks.
