Rule reminder: How Stewart will be scored at Talladega – Nascar

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When he announced his return to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner Tony Stewart said he would qualify his No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and start Sunday’s race, but ultimately give his seat to standby driver Ty Dillon at some point during the GEICO 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Stewart’s first race since injuring his back in an offseason all-terrain vehicle accident came last Sunday at Richmond, and Talladega — a 2.66-mile track where peril exists in every moment — was enough of a risk for doctors to ask Stewart to step out of the seat at some point Sunday.

“Smoke” has been granted a waiver that makes him eligible to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He initially was ineligible due to not meeting the requirement of attempting to start every race. Now, he can attempt to qualify for the postseason — the most simple road into the Chase is to win one of the remaining regular-season races and climb into the top 30 in the points standings.

All of which leads to these questions: Does Tony Stewart earn points at Talladega? What would happen if Ty Dillon won?

The answer from NASCAR: If Stewart begins the race, he is the driver of record. The points accrued from whatever place Dillon finishes go into the standings under Stewart’s name. If Dillon finishes the race in the No. 14 and winds up in Victory Lane, it will go down as a victory for Stewart and would count toward his Chase eligibility.