Tony Stewart Indy 500 return could be several years away

The wait to see Smoke back in the Indianapolis 500 could last for another few years.

NASCAR owner Tony Stewart hasn’t made any noises about returning to stock car racing, and Stewart-Haas Racing has been doing just fine without him. One thing Stewart does want to do is run the Indy 500 again, possibly to chase down the victory that he never found during his open-wheel days.

The Indianapolis 500 has seen an increasing number of one-off entries in recent years, and Stewart, and Indiana native, would be a story if he made a return to the Brickyard. But there’s a catch: He’d need a ride, and it isn’t clear he’d have one in time for next year.

Roger Penske, who’s already stated on several occasions that he’d like to put Stewart in one of his cars for the Indy 500, elaborated on the logistical issues this week before the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan (via NBC Sports). The biggest hurdle is that Team Penske already runs four cars in the IndyCar series.

"One of the biggest dreams of my life would be to get Tony Stewart in one of our Indy 500 cars. Obviously, we’ve got obligations now. We’ve got four cars running (next year) and to run a fifth would be pretty tough, but who knows over the next couple of years what happens."

Stewart ran the Indy 500 three times between 1996 and 2001, recording three top-10 finishes. Age (he might turn 50 before he gets back to the biggest open-wheel race in the U.S., depending on how long it takes) and unfamiliarity with the current IndyCar equipment could be hurdles for him to race competitively, though unlike other Indianapolis 500 ringers, Stewart has expressed a willingness to do a warm-up race to get used to the current cars.

With these kinds of deals, though, when there’s a will, there’s usually a way as well. Smart money says Stewart will indeed be back at Indy in a Team Penske ride, even if it’s not until 2020 or 2021.