Tony Stewart's nightmare season is nearly over. He has one race remaining between him and an off-season that he can use to get his career back on track. Stewart underperformed in 2014 for pretty much the entire season, but most fans will only remember the tragic crash on a sprint track that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr.

Stewart Known for Racing Etiquette

Stewart returned to racing a few weeks after the accident and scuffled through his first few races before tying a season-best finish at Martinsville, where he finished in fourth place. Following the Martinsville race, Stewart nearly finished in the Top 10 during a solid performance at Texas Motor Speedway. Last week at Phoenix, Stewart battled all day, eventually finishing in 20th place.

Those finishes lead in to Sunday's season finale at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Miami, where four drivers will battle for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, and Stewart will simply look to post a solid effort before heading into the offseason.

Stewart Thrilled After Martinsville Finish

As Stewart enters the offseason, he will no doubt take some time to ponder where he needs to go from here. The pain of the incident with Ward Jr. will no doubt linger, and Stewart must find a way to cope if he ever hopes to return to racing at a high level.

His team must also look to improve after Stewart's car appeared inferior to the competition at times during the last few months of the season. Perhaps a strong showing in the season finale will provide the motivation Stewart and his team need to focus on regaining their standing among the sport's elite.