Stewart dismisses talk of possible return in 2017

Not coming back to be a backmarker

Jeff Gordon retired at the end of the 2015 season, but when Gordon was needed as a substitute driver for #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., he quickly answered the call from team owner Rick Hendrick. So isn't it possible that after Stewart retires from NASCAR, he could potentially come back and – "No," Stewart said Wednesday, cutting off a reporter.

"Let me help you not waste breath here. No, not doing it."

Stewart then hedged a bit, saying if it was just for one week and his race team was in desperate need of a substitute, then "obviously I'm 100% dedicated to Stewart-Haas Racing and if that's what it took, I'd be there in a heartbeat."

But he quickly added: "I don't want to come back and run five or six races." One reason, he said, is because of the increased demands. The sport's advancements in technology means there are troves of data to sort through after practices, and "that's time-consuming," he said.

"I spend more time than I ever have looking at it now," he added. USA Today