INDYCAR: Stewart rules out future Indy 500 team

Tony Stewart says that it is unlikely that his team ownership activities will extend to an Indianapolis 500 entry once he retires from racing in NASCAR at the end of this season.

The 44-year-old, who won the IRL title in 1997 before becoming a three-time Cup champion, has said that he intends to continue in other forms of racing beyond NASCAR, and his previous ties with Indy, coupled with his expanding portfolio of interests as a team owner, prompted speculation that he could run a car at the 500 in the future.

"I think between Eldora Speedway, the All Star Circuit of Champions, Donny Schatz and the World of Outlaws, four [NASCAR] Cup teams, a Modified team, two TQ Midgets ... I think we've got enough race cars right now," Stewart said.

"[Indy] still has a magnetic pull, but I don't know where I'm going to fit it into that equation. It's still a blank spot on the top of my to-do list. I wish I was 40 pounds lighter and 15-20 years younger so I could go back and really ... the thing about Indy is, it's so competitive now. You can't just come in in the month of May and expect to outrun the guys that are running there full-time. It's a compliment to that [IndyCar] series that it has come such a long way."

Stewart started from pole in the first of his five starts at Indy in 1996, although his best finish at the event was a fifth place the following year. He made his final appearance in 2001 (PICTURED) with Chip Ganassi Racing.