DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Jeff Gordon will be in the booth and Tony Stewart in a bed when the NASCAR season begins.
Neither NASCAR star will be in a car when Daytona International Speedway opens Friday for preparations for the Feb. 21 season-opening Daytona 500. Gordon, arguably NASCAR’s biggest star, retired at the end of last season and the four-time champion will now be a Fox analyst.
He has been highly visible during his newly acquired free time, and was on an all-terrain vehicle trip with Stewart a week ago when the three-time champion crashed. Stewart fractured a vertebra and lay in the sand alone for 90 minutes waiting for his group to find him and get him to a hospital.
The accident has sidelined Stewart for the beginning of his final season as a NASCAR driver, denying him a chance to finally win the Daytona 500. He has come heartbreakingly close in his 17 previous tries and spoke last month of his desire to add that win to his resume.
Instead, he will watch the race on television as he awaits approval to travel.
What Stewart will be missing is the start of what is expected to be a dramatically improved season with plenty of story lines.
