After two harrowing years on the Sprint Cup circuit, Tony Stewart was primed to return to his "Smoke" days, in which his swagger and winning ways were supposed to return.
But whenever there's been 'Smoke' so far in 2015, there's only been fire - as in his temper.
Tony Stewart livid after being black-flagged in Daytona 500 practice
According to Yahoo! Sports, Stewart was one of 13 drivers in this weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway who failed to make a qualifying attempt because his car had to be sent back through inspection.
I don't know what to say about today. Spent all of our practice working on qualifying. Didn't even get a chance to make a lap. Frustrating!
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) February 27, 2015
If we would have known this was going to happen, we could have worked on the race setup. Was a total waste of a day at the track — Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) February 27, 2015
@TonyStewart start 39 now because of this crap. Now I'm pissed off
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) February 27, 2015
Several drivers expressed ire over the situation, but Stewart's 2015 season has started off from where his last two seasons ended.
He started off the year criticizing NASCAR over its new knockout-group qualifying format before the Daytona 500.
Tony Stewart criticizes NASCAR over new qualifying format
Then, he was black-flagged during the first practice for going out on the track before weighing in as required to help NASCAR officials determine how much ballast is allowed in cars to ensure everyone is driving with the same car weights.
Then, Stewart slammed into the wall on the 42nd lap in Daytona, forcing him to quit after 72 laps and finish 42nd. He extended his Daytona 500 drought to 17 years.
It was 2013 in which Stewart broke his right leg in a dirt-race crash that so far has resulted in four surgeries and will require one more to remove the plate in his leg.
But that mishap paled in comparison to the tragedy in August of 2014 at a dirt track in which his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr.
Since that event, Stewart required months to put his life back together. He still has not raced in a dirt-track race since.
So while his 2015 has not been near as tragic as either of his last two seasons, his run of back luck remains.
When do you think Tony Stewart will become relevant again as a driver in NASCAR? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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