Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reacts To Tony Stewart's NASCAR Decision

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 3:35 PM ET

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart is returning to the sport where he made his name. Well, at least for one night.

On Tuesday, Kaulig Racing announced that the Hall of Fame driver will get behind the wheel of the No. 25 truck at Daytona International Speedway in February — his first race back in NASCAR since 2016.

The 54-year-old last competed 10 years ago before retiring from full-time driving and hasn't raced in Truck since 2005 after winning races in back-to-back years in 2002 and 2003 — and it certainly came as a surprise to fellow HOFer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Dale Jr. on Tony Stewart comeback: 'This dude don't give a s—t'

Taking to his "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Earnhardt reacted to the news of Stewart's upcoming Truck Series race saying that Tony "picked a doozy" but it's going to make a splash.

“He hadn’t been in NASCAR since 2016, and this will be his first Truck race since 2005,” Earnhardt pointed out. “Boy, he picked a doozy. The dude don’t give a s—t. I wouldn’t have picked Daytona; I would have picked somewhere else. It must be writing him a nice check.”

“This is what Dodge wants to do. They want to create noise, they want to create a splash,” Dale Jr. continued. “This doesn’t work for Dodge just by building trucks, cars going out, and winning races."

"They need the story, they need to be the big deal on social media, they need everybody talking about this. That is the way that they’ll get their board and everybody at Dodge to help support financially what’s going to be required for them to get all the way back through the Cup Series.”

Tony Stewart releases statement on Daytona truck race

Stewart is coming back as part of Dodge Ram's "Free Agent Driver Program," which the three-time Cup Series champion thanked in a statement on his truck race.

“I’ve raced just about everything with four wheels at Daytona, but never a truck. So, when a seat in the new Ram was offered up for their first race back in NASCAR, I didn’t hesitate,” Stewart said. “Ram’s Free Agent program is another great way for me to stay sharp and have a little fun.”

"Having Tony Stewart in one of our Ram trucks is the kind of thing you dream about,” owner Matt Kaulig said in an accompanying release. “He’s a legend— his name alone brings energy to the sport. We couldn’t be more fired up to have him in our camp as we roll into Daytona for our first race. This is going to be a ride worth watching."

Stewart was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020 and was named one of the sport's 75 greatest drivers a few years later. His last professional win came at the Save Mart 350 in Sonoma.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: