NASCAR on NBC podcast, Episode 35: Tony Stewart

The deep thinking happens on heavy equipment these days for Tony Stewart.

Though in his final NASCAR season, the three-time Sprint Cup champion’s pace hardly has slowed between racing a stock car, co-owning Stewart-Haas Racing and managing a myriad business portfolio that also includes dirt tracks, a racing series and a PR firm.

On a 400-acre spread near his Columbus, Indiana, hometown, Stewart’s best moments of reflection come aboard an excavator while clearing land.

“I get a lot of thinking done when I’m out working,” Stewart said on the latest episode of the NASCAR on NBC podcast. “Having a project to work on gives you the outlet to get away from things, but at the same time, when you’re in a piece of equipment by yourself,  you can think of other things that are on your mind, and it gives you time to sort it out and think of solutions to problems that you have.”

During a wide-ranging discussion taped Aug. 3 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame after the unveiling of his Coke-sponsored Southern 500 car that honors Bobby Allison, Stewart explained what life is like on a sprawling homestead that also features an 8.5-acre pond, a 1,500-gallon trout stream and a 5,600-gallon freshwater aquarium.

It’s become an occasional home to two bald eagles, and Stewart plans to begin breeding deer this fall. He has used Periscope to document the other part-time residents of his property – Camping World Truck Series driver Rico Abreu and his open-wheel team. Abreu discussed living in Stewart’s house on a previous edition of the NASCAR on NBC podcast.

“There’s no shortage of fun with us,” Stewart said, describing some epic fireworks battles with the group. “I thought Rico was going to blow up my Lamborghini and possibly burn my house down in the process. But we definitely race hard, we play hard and care a lot about each other.”

During the podcast, Stewart also discussed his decision to retire after the 2016 season from NASCAR’s premier series, which he describes as a lot of work, stress and pressure because of the demands from a 36-race slate that runs February through November.

“For the last 20 years, I’ve been on a NASCAR schedule,” he said. “Everything you do revolves around NASCAR’s schedule. I’ve loved it. If I had to go back and start over, I’d do the same thing over again. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

“But I’m at a point in my life that I’m ready to do something different. There’s unfinished business that I have with a lot of other categories in my life that I want to go back and finish things. To do that, I’ve got to step aside from the NASCAR side.”

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LARSON BOUNCES BACK TO WIN AT ELDORA DIRT TRACK

ROSSBURG, Ohio -- Battling back from all kinds of adversity, Kyle Larson sailed away on a late race restart with 16 laps to go to win Wednesday night's fourth annual Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150 at Eldora Speedway.

"It means a lot, especially losing the way I did the two years I ran," said Larson from Victory Lane. "Thanks to everyone on this GMS Racing team, DC Solar for coming on-board for this, this is very special for them. I knew running a blue No. 24 I had to run hard here at Eldora. Rico (Abreu) does a really good job in a Sprint car with that. I had to put on a show.

RELATED: Larson puts on a show

"We got the flat tire there early, I knew we would get a lucky dog, I just didn't know if I could get back to the top-three as quick as I did. It just worked out where I got by (Christopher) Bell when he got in the wall and I think Bobby (Pierce) had a gear issue. He was definitely better than I was for sure.

The win didn't come easy though.

Larson took the lead from last year's runner-up Bobby Pierce following the second caution on Lap 35 and appeared to be in control of the event, but while leading, Larson spun in Turn 4 on Lap 52 to bring out the fourth caution of the night.

Adding fuel to his fire, Larson was docked one lap by NASCAR for intentionally causing the yellow after spinning and stopping on the race track.

Two cautions later, however, Larson found himself back on the lead lap courtesy of the free pass and his mission to rally from the back to the front began.

Chasing down Pierce for the race lead, Larson took advantage of Pierce's transmission being stuck in fourth gear to take the lead with 30 laps to go, Pierce attempted to take the lead back three laps later, but slammed the outside Turn 4 wall, ending his night and bringing out the final caution of the event.

RELATED: Pierce discusses late-race woes

Despite a late race charge from Bell on the restart, Larson pulled away as the laps dwindled away and earned a 0.767-second advantage to win his second NCWTS race in his 12th start.

"I guess I didn't really hold him (Pierce) off, he slid in there and hit the wall and got a flat I think," Larson said. "I hated that I couldn't race with him, but I was happy when he was out. I almost gave it away again after that restart. I went to the middle of three and four in third gear and I missed a shift off Turn 4 and Bell got into my back bumper. Thankfully, he wasn't inside of me, because he would have got the lead there and probably would be standing where I am."

Bell, last year's winner, was disappointed with second but knew he gained crucial points towards his championship chase.

"Tony (Stewart, Eldora Speedway owner) did an awesome job with the race track tonight," said Bell. "It was really technical, it was really tough to get around and it was really fun, too. Kyle's been trying to win this race for a long time and it was cool for him to win tonight. The guys at KBM ( Kyle Busch Motorsports) worked really hard to put me in this position. I was disappointed we couldn't repeat."

Pierce who led a commanding 102 laps finished 25th in likely his final truck race of the season.

"The carburetor was flooded and I couldn't get off the corner at all. Larson drove a great race," Pierce said. "When that happened on the restart, I caught him a little bit, he hit the wall and I tried to slide him. I went in there a little too hard, it was super-slick and I got the wall and knocked the right-rear off the rim and that was that."

Notes: The event was halted for seven minutes, 29 seconds for a nine truck accident in Turn 3 on Lap 38. ... The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to competition at Pocono Raceway on July 30 for the running of the Pocono Mountains 150 (1 p.m., FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch is the defending champion.

Tyler Reddick tops first of two Truck practice sessions at Eldora

The first of two practice sessions for the Camping World Truck Series at Eldora Speedway was led by Tyler Reddick, who put down a top speed of 85.808 mph around the half-mile dirt track.Reddick was followed by Sprint Cup driverKyle Larson (85.800), Christopher Bell(85.062), Rico Abreu (84.790) and Bobby Pierce (84.740).Speed Chart

Christopher Bell leads final Truck practice at Eldora

Christopher Bell, who won last year’s race at Eldora Speedway, paced the field in Tuesday night’s final Camping World Truck Series practice at the half-time dirt track.

Bell led the way with a lap of 82.369 mph heading into Wednesday night’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150.

Bell was followed by Cameron Hayley(81.893 mph), Rico Abreu (81.685), Kyle Larson (80.718) and Ben Rhodes (80.645).

Fire at ThorSport Racing shop ruled accidental

The June 13 fire at ThorSport Racing’s shop was accidental and started outside the building in mulch underneath a stairway, according to a report by the Ohio State Fire Marshal.

About 40 percent of the building was lost because of the fire. The report listed fire damage as $10 million. The team fields entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Cameron Hayley and Rico Abreu. Fifteen of the team’s trucks were saved, but the suspension room and fab shop were destroyed. Fire units from four communities were called to the fire.

The report did not list an exact cause of the fire. The investigator wrote: “I was unable to eliminate careless smoking material discarded into the mulch bed on the exterior of the building as the heat source for this fire.”

The report noted that automatic sprinkler and fire alarms in the building did not activate because “the fire spread from the exterior into the roofline and walls. This was above and beyond the sensors and sprinkler heads. The interior alarms did activate once fire crews arrived and began to ventilate the interior rooms.”

The report also noted that “several sprinkler heads on the east side of the building activated once the roof collapsed and fire spread to interior portions of the building.”

The investigator detailed fire damage found in the patio area. After removing metal siding, the investigator reported that “fire damage was visible from the ground level into the void space between the metal wall covering and the original building. … Both the composite wood and wood framing was heavily damaged at ground level and evenly damaged on the interior facing side indicating fire spreading from the ground level upward.”

The report also included interviews with those who worked at the shop. They noted the patio area was often a place for employees to take lunch breaks during weekdays. No one reported seeing anyone smoke in that area that weekend before the fire.

“Copious amounts of water used during the fire attack washed a large portion of the mulch and other ground cover away from the building,” the investigator stated in the report. “I was unable to identify smoking materials in the area of origin but did see smoking materials on the grounds of the brick patio. The area of origin was the east side exterior of the building below the stairs. The mulch bed and ground cover is the specific area of origin.”

The report states the case is closed with no further investigate actions to be performed.

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Ben Rhodes sweeps Camping World Truck practices at Gateway

Ben Rhodes posted the fastest lap in Saturday’s final practice session for the Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park with a lap of 135.755 mph. Rhodes also was the fastest in the opening session Saturday at 135.738 mph.

Johnny Sauter was second in Saturday’s final practice at 135.510 mph with John Hunter Nemechek third at 135.054 mph.

Rico Abreu, who crashed in the first practice session, did not make it on the track for the final session. His team was busy preparing the backup. He will have no laps on that vehicle at Gateway when he qualifies at 5:45 p.m. ET today. The race is at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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UPDATE: ThorSport Racing haulers and some Trucks survive fire

A ThorSport Racing spokesperson confirmed to NBC Sports that the team’s four haulers, along with some tool and pit boxes, were removed from the shop before a pre-dawn fire spread.

Some of the team’s trucks also survived, but a team spokesperson was unsure of the exact number.

The spokesperson told NBC Sports that as of nearly 2 p.m. ET the fire was contained but firefighters were battling some smaller issues.

The fire at the team’s Sandusky, Ohio, race shop was reported at 12:12 a.m. ET. Fire crews from Perkins Township responded along with a unit from Sandusky, Ohio.

The team stated that no one was injured. The team also reported that the fire started in the basement of the 100,000-square foot shop.

A spokesperson for Kyle Busch Motorsports, a fellow Toyota team, stated that they had reached out to ThorSport Racing officials and offered whatever assistance is needed from parts and pieces to a place to work.

A Toyota spokesperson told NBC Sports that many teams, including those from competing manufacturers, were offering their assistance to ThorSport Racing.

The four-truck ThorSport team — the longest tenured in the Camping World Truck Series — raced last Friday at Texas Motor Speedway with two-time series champion and current points leader Matt Crafton, Rico Abreu, Ben Rhodes and Cameron Hayley.

The Truck series races Saturday at Iowa Speedway. The team stated it plans to compete.

Check back for more details as they become available.

Camping World Truck race results from Texas

Rookie William Byron passed Matt Craftonwith five laps to go and then held off Rico Abreu‘s late challenge before Abreu hit the wall to win Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway.

It’s the second victory of the season for Byron, who drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Crafton finished second with Johnny Sauterthird. Abreu hit the wall in each of the final two laps and fell to ninth.

William Byron chases down Matt Crafton for second Truck of rookie season

FORT WORTH — William Byron chased down two-time champion Matt Crafton and then fended off fellow charging rookie Rico Abreu to win the Rattlesnake 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bryon was able to cruise the final two laps after Abreu got into the outside wall twice after reaching Byron’s bumper.

Byron has now won twice in the last four Camping World Truck Series races after his victory at Kansas Speedway last month.

The rookie’s win ended a two-race win streak for Crafton, who had also won the last two June races at TMS.

Byron was followed by Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Ben Kennedy and Tyler Reddick. Abreu finished ninth.

MORE: Race results

HOW WILLIAM BYRON WON: After Matt Crafton’s tires wore down, Byron passed him with five laps to go and fended off a charging Rico Abreu to take his second Truck win.

 WHO HAD A GOOD NIGHT: Matt Crafton blew a tire and hit the Turn 3 wall while leading on Lap 11. Crafton then charged back from 25th in 20 laps to lead a race-high 133 laps before finishing second … Johnny Sauter started from his first pole in three years and led nine laps before finishing third, his fourth top-five finish of the season … Ben Kennedy finish fourth after starting 15th for his first top-five result of the season …Tyler Reddick brought out the second caution on Lap 52 after he lost a rear tire and spun exiting Turn 4. Reddick battled back to finish fifth … German Quiroga started second in his first Truck race since 2014 and finished eighth for his 18th top 10 of his career.

WHO HAD A BAD NIGHT: Rookie Christopher Bell pulled up lame on the first lap after a bad shift caused engine problems. Bell went to the garage where he finished last. …Spencer Gallagher lost a tire just passed Lap 30 and had to pit. He finished 27th, 14 laps down … Mike Bliss brought out a caution with 72 laps to go when he smacked the wall out of Turn 4. Bliss finished 28th … John Wes Townley spun in Turn 3 with 48 laps to go, shredding his right-side tires. Townley finished 17th, a lap down.

NOTABLE: William Byron is now the second-youngest driver to win at Texas Motor Speedway behind Chase Elliott … Matt Crafton holds an 18-point lead over Timothy Peters in the season standings

NEXT: Speediatrics 200 at Iowa Speedway on June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Rico Abreu kisses the wall, then chance at first win goodbye

FORT WORTH — Rico Abreu hopped down from his No. 98 Toyota and was immediately met by two crew members.

As William Byron conducted his second victory burnout of the year on the Texas Motor Speedway front stretch, they helped the 4-foot-4 Abreu remove his helmet and safety equipment and told him there was no reason to be mad.

Minutes before, Abreu had gone from running second with three laps to go in the Rattlesnake 400 to finishing ninth, his best result in nine Camping World Truck Series starts.

As Byron drove his No. 9 truck past where Abreu stood on pit road, on the way to victory lane, one crew member told the Abreu he had just experienced some of the most fun he’d ever had.

When Byron passed Matt Crafton with five laps to go, Abreu soon followed. The native of St. Helena, California, spent the next two laps driving like he had for most of the race and his whole career – staying as close to the Texas Motor Speedway wall as possible.

“When it gets hot and slick like that, your tires get wore out; I just felt so comfortable up there,” Abreu said of the area of the track and style of racing he mastered while rising through the ranks on dirt tracks.

The driver Abreu was chasing down had the same strategy. However, Byron, who won his first race at Kansas Speedway last month, “wasn’t paying attention much” to Abreu as he bore down on him.

“I was still running the top, because that’s what I was running (all night),” Byron said. “Then they said ‘two back’ and I was like ‘Man, we’ve got to figure something out here, so I got to make sure I hit both corners right.'”

Byron did that, taking away Abreu’s racing line, which Byron called the “name of the game” Friday night.

“A couple of guys took my line away and got me into the wall a bit, but you just can’t give up on it,” Byron said. “That outside gives you such huge momentum down the frontstretch.”

Abreu took the momentum he had and reached Byron’s bumper as they came down to two laps to go. But as they entered Turn 1, Abreu’s favorite place on the track became very uncomfortable.

“I figured I maybe could have cleared him off of (Turn) 4, maybe coming to the white,” Abreu said. “But I just got too tight behind him and got into the wall. Can’t have that stuff happening.”

Abreu kept his speed up enough that teammate Matt Crafton, who was running in third, believed Abreu would have “definitely” finished second.

But those chances ended after the white flag when Abreu once again impacted the wall in Turn 2. This time, he didn’t leave the wall until he was on the backstretch.

“That shows how much heart he had that he wanted to win the race,” said Crafton, who led a race-high 133 laps. “He likes that high, wide and handsome stuff and it bit him right there.”

The loss didn’t shake the confidence of Abreu, who started the night in 13th. But he felt bad for the crew members that met him after the best night of his short Truck career.

“They built a great truck this weekend and I just smashed it all,” Abreu said. “I got speed, I just got to put a whole damn night together. I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

Kyle Larson competing in USAC midget race tonight after winning Tuesday

Kyle Larson will go for his second consecutive USAC midget win tonight at Gas City I-69 Speedway in the second night of Indiana Midget Week.

Larson, whose background is in sprint and midget cars, took a break from his Chip Ganassi Racing duties to race Tuesday at the quarter-mile Montpelier Motor Speedway. He scored his first USAC National Midget win since 2013.

Larson held on in a three-lap shootout to earn his fourth career Indiana Midget Week win and his 13th career USAC National Midget Week victory, tying him with Rico Abreu, Steve Knepper, Don Meacham, Ryan Newman and Stevie Reeves for 49th on the all-time list.

Also competing Tuesday was NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell, who finished third. Abreu finished 14th in the 23-car feature.

Matt Crafton takes first win of year in first Dover victory

With a Daniel Suarez behind him and hungry for his first-career win, Matt Crafton stayed perfect in the final 78 laps of the JACOB Companies 200 to win his first Camping World Truck Series race of 2016.

Crafton, a two-time series champion, hadn’t won at Dover International Speedway in his first 15 starts at the 1-mile track. Now Crafton is eligible for the Truck series’ Chase playoff.

“I always wanted Miles (Dover’s trophy),” Crafton told Fox Sports 1. “We’ve came close and ran second (in 2013). This Menards Toyota Tundra was fast today. It’s all about these guys behind me, I can’t say enough about them – they never give up because we were not very good in the last practice.”

Crafton started fifth after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out.

“Last night (crew chief) Junior (Joiner) sat down and they worked on it all day and made a little headway and finally made progress,” said Crafton, who took the lead on Lap 123. His closest challenger was Suarez, who wasn’t able to get close enough to Crafton’s rear-bumper during the last 27 lap green-flag run.

“I was trying to run the wheels off this thing to try and complete the pass,” Suarez told Fox Sports 1. “We were a little faster than (Crafton) but clean air is a big difference here.”

Suarez’ runner-up result was his best finish in four Truck starts this season. He had failed to finish in the top 15 in his first three races.

HOW MATT CRAFTON WON: After taking the lead on Lap 123, Crafton held off all challengers through two restarts to lead the final 78 laps.

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Daniel Suarez was in the top five all afternoon, but couldn’t catch Crafton in the final stretch, finishing second for the fourth time in his Truck career … A week after crashing on the last lap at Kansas, Johnny Sauter kept his truck out of trouble, finishing fourth for his second top five of the year … Cole Custer bounced back from a penalty for jumping a restart to finish fifth, his best finish of the year.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Pole-sitter William Byron led the first 80 laps, but lost the lead during pit stops. The rookie pit under caution with 30 to go and was penalized for his crew going over the wall too soon before finishing 11th … ThorSport teammates Ben Rhodes and Rico Abreu were in the top 10 on a Lap 61 restart when Rhodes got loose in Turn 3 and made contact with Abreu, sending them both into the wall. It was the second accident in as many races for both drivers… With 69 laps left and right after making a green-flag stop, John Wes Townley got loose in Turn 3, overcorrected and hit the outside wall in Turn 4. Townley finished 29th.

NOTABLE: All five races this season have been won by a different driver, four of them by series regulars.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’ve been telling Junior (Joiner) all year, to get out of the box and he said we have to win a race first. Now we can get out of the box.” – Matt Crafton after his first win of 2016.

NEXT: N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway; May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.