Tony Stewart gives fiery response when asked about NASCAR President Steve O'Donnell

NASCAR’s season-opening weekend at Daytona is finally here, and with it comes the return of 4-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. He is set to make his first appearance in the Craftsman Truck Series since 2005. But in the wake of the contentious antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR, 23XI, and Front Row Motorsports, he doesn’t sound particularly excited about the prospect of chopping it up with the sport’s leadership.

By now, serious NASCAR fans are intimately familiar with the text messages that surfaced throughout the course of the trial. The most infamous of these exchanges belong to former NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps and his “redneck” comments directed at Richard Childress. But those messages were far from the only ones to attract attention.

It came to light that NASCAR executives also voiced concerns surrounding Tony Stewart’s SRX Series. Steve O’Donnell confirmed these concerns himself during the trial. NASCAR leadership felt threatened by the talent and attention SRX was attracting on ESPN, with Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience series looking “more and more like NASCAR,” according to O’Donnell. In a series of texts between Steve Phelps and O’Donnell, the former commissioner went so far as to call SRX a “trash series.”

So, in light of NASCAR leadership’s stance toward Tony Stewart’s venture, and the fact that Steve O’Donnell is now the sport’s top dog, how is Smoke feeling about it all amid his return? NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass got to the heart of it.

Tony Stewart on if he's seen Steve O'Donnell at Daytona: "I have not had that pleasure yet." … Does he want to? "I'm going to do my deal. If I run into Steve O'Donnell, then he'll have to deal with that part. I'm gonna go do me and I don't really care what he does this week."

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 12, 2026

Tony Stewart’s return to NASCAR at Daytona is a one-off

The Fresh from Florida 250, the Craftsman Truck Series’ season-opener, is set to take place at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, February 13th. Tony Stewart’s return alone has NASCAR fans ready for the 2026 season to get underway. But plenty of other big names on the entry list promise to make the race one to remember.

And while Smoke’s return at Daytona is exciting, don’t get too comfortable seeing him compete in NASCAR. During media availability, Stewart emphasized the fact that he is not planning an expanded return to the sport.

“I have a wife and a son that also like those gaps as well, and would prefer that I not keep booking those gaps open. I’m getting ahead of you. I’m not planning anything else,” he said.

Truck Series practice will get rolling at 5:00 pm ET today, followed by the Cup Series Daytona Duels. Fresh from Florida 250 Qualifying will begin at 3:00 pm ET tomorrow.