Why did Tony Stewart not give the command to start engines at Homestead-Miami? Speculations arise as NASCAR team owner gives Grand Marshal responsibility a miss

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current team owner Tony Stewart is a figure in the world of stock car racing whose presence is rivaled by hardly anyone else in the sport. As one of the driving forces behind Stewart-Haas Racing in the highest echelon of the sport, the NASCAR Hall of Famer is not known for holding back on his thoughts, especially when he feels wronged by the governing body.

Stewart-Haas Racing has not had the easiest of going into the Cup Series recently, with two of its three drivers and teams on the receiving end of huge penalties this season. In light of the recent penalty for Cole Custer at Charlotte, which involved a hefty fine and suspensions for crew members, Tony Stewart expressed his grief with the sport publicly on his Twitter handle.

Another possible way Stewart has shown displeasure with the sport has been his absence from Grand Marshal duties in Miami, Florida this weekend. The former driver was scheduled to instruct current drivers to start their engines at the start of the Dixie Vodka 400, which wasn't performed by him as originally planned.

In light of his recent actions and opinions on the sport, Tony Stewart seems to have lost interest in a field that he dominated previously. Stewart's thought process was further solidified amongst fans when the 51-year-old looked forward to going racing in the NHRA Drag Racing Series, as claimed by himself during an event at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Why did Tony Stewart skip his NASCAR Grand Marshal duties in Miami last weekend?

Despite being present for the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart did not seem interested in commanding the drivers to start their engines on Sunday. As shared by The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner was slated to perform Grand Marshal duties for the 400-mile-long race, which were eventually seen being performed by country singer Kip Moore.

Speculation amongst fans on social media included his displeasure with the sport's governing body, and his not performing the pre-race ritual, another display of his recent thoughts. Another reason why Stewart was not interested in Grand Marshal duties could be NASCAR's fear of the former driver being vocal about the sport in a negative way just before the race.

Tony Stewart's falling out of love with stock car racing, however, is as evident as ever amongst the racing fraternity and doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.