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Tony Stewart confirmed Wednesday that he will retire from Sprint Cup racing following the 2016 season. The three-time NASCAR champion said he would step away from full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition next year, ending months of speculation about his future.
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"Next year will be my last year in the Sprint Cup Series. It was a choice that was 100 percent mine," Stewart said at a news conference at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop in Kannapolis, N.C. "I think deep down, you know when it's time to do something different."
Stewart's team also officially announced that Clint Bowyer would replace Stewart at SHR beginning in 2017.
Stewart, who will be 45 next season, hasn't won a race in over two years and has been working on finding a successor for the No. 14 Chevrolet all year.
Stewart will leave Sprint Cup racing a year after four-time champion Jeff Gordon does the same.
"There wasn't any pressure from anybody," Stewart said of his decision. "If anything, it was the opposite. I know people were trying to talk me out of it. It's a scenario where everybody in their career makes the decision that it's time for a change."
Stewart, nicknamed "Smoke," has a passion for dirt track racing and plans to occasionally race elsewhere after he runs his 18th and final Sprint Cup season.
"I am still going to race," Stewart said. "I am not retiring from racing, just the Sprint Cup Series."
Stewart won the Sprint Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2011. However, he did not qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year. He is 25th in the standings. He was the 1997 Indy Racing League champion before joining NASCAR.
Stewart is tied for 13th in career Cup victories with 48, but he last won a race on June 2, 2013, at Dover International Speedway.
Bowyer, released from his contract with Michael Waltrip Racing because the team is folding at the end of the season, will replace Stewart in 2017. Stewart-Haas Racing also fields cars for reigning series champion Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick.
Bowyer, who appeared with Stewart at Wednesday's press conference, has eight career wins and was runner-up for the Cup title in 2012.
"I don't think I got fired; it just went away," Bowyer said with a laugh about how he ended up at SHR. "And somehow you landed in a way better situation. Do you ever hear that term when you fall in a pile of cow manure and come out smelling like roses? That's exactly what this is for me."
Stewart missed three races last year after the sprint car he was driving hit and killed Kevin Ward Jr.
Ward was killed Aug. 9, 2014, in an Empire Super Sprints race at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park when, after crashing, he approached the other cars on foot as they were riding around under caution. Stewart's car struck Ward, who was pronounced dead at a hospital 45 minutes later.
Ward's parents, Kevin and Pamela Ward, have filed a lawsuit against Stewart and seek unspecified damages for their son's pain and suffering as well as economic benefits and support he could have provided them.
Stewart was not indicted by a grand jury, and Ontario County (N.Y.) District Attorney Michael Tantillo said Ward was under the influence of marijuana the night of the accident "enough to impair judgment."
Stewart also missed the final 15 races of the 2013 season with a broken leg suffered in a sprint car crash.
Stewart said the Ward tragedy and his comeback from injuries played no role in his decision.
"Zero percent -- not 1 percent of it has anything to do with it," Stewart said. "This is strictly what I want to do. My leg feels fine. There is nothing wrong with my leg. The tragedy, nothing is going to change that. It happened, but it's not going to direct the rest of my life.
"The great thing is, I'm not going anywhere. NASCAR's probably going to be the most disappointed of everybody today because they aren't getting rid of me. They have to deal with me as an owner. There's still an opportunity to get fined. There's still an opportunity to get on probation, just like always."
NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France praised Stewart for his contributions to the sport.
"When I think of Tony Stewart, unmatched passion and a pure love of the sport come to mind," France said in a statement. "He has won championships and millions of fans. But he has given back so much more, and that's what I admire most. Today's news was bittersweet for all, but we know Tony will continue to be a big part of our sport in his roles as a team and track owner.
"On behalf of the entire NASCAR family, I thank Tony for his many years of excellence and competitiveness, and wish him nothing but the best in his final season as a driver in the Sprint Cup Series."
