CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race hes skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race. Stewarts decision was announced Wednesday and Jeff Burton will once again replace him in the No. 14 Chevrolet. Burton also drove Stewarts car at Michigan last weekend. Stewart-Haas Racing is allowing Stewart to take the time he needs away from the track, and the team statement indicated the three-time NASCAR champion is taking it week-by-week. Stewart will not have to decide on another race until the Aug. 31 event at Atlanta. Stewart has been in seclusion since the Aug. 9 incident at an upstate New York dirt track. He has not commented since he issued a statement the day after Wards death. Stewart also pulled out of the race at Watkins Glen, which began about 12 hours after his car hit Ward at event in Canandaigua, New York. Wards car had spun into a wall as he and Stewart raced for position, and the 20-year-old climbed out to confront Stewart. Authorities said the first car to pass Ward had to swerve to miss hitting the driver, who was gesturing toward the NASCAR star. The front of Stewarts car then appeared to clear Ward, but Ward was struck by the right rear tire and hurtled through the air. Ward died of blunt force trauma, and authorities are still investigating the incident. Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero has said investigators did not have any evidence to support criminal intent by Stewart, but the investigation is expected to last at least another week. Povero said this week were no new updates. None of Stewarts peers has spoken to the driver since the accident. But theyve come to his defence, with six-time champion Jimmie Johnson saying nothing hes seen has convinced him that Wards death was anything but a tragic accident. Kevin Harvick, a longtime friend of Stewarts and his teammate at SHR, also bristled at the negative portrayal of Stewart since Wards death. "Ive known Tony Stewart for a long time ... I know for sure that Tony Stewart is not going to run over somebody," Harvick said. "I dont think theres anybody in this garage that would. It would be hard to find somebody in the racing world that could point that car, just run somebody over." NASCAR last week announced a rule that prohibits drivers from exiting from a crashed or disabled vehicle -- unless it is on fire -- until safety personnel arrive. Stewart has 48 career Cup wins in 542 starts. He has one career win at Bristol, in 2001. Burton made just his third start of the season last week. The 21-time Sprint Cup winner parted ways with Richard Childress Racing at the end of the season and is transitioning into an analyst for NBC. Burton won at Bristol in 2008 and has 15 top-10 finishes in 40 career starts. Travis Kelce Jersey . 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BRISBANE, Australia -- Sloane Stephens and John Isner ensured the United States made a winning start at the Hopman Cup on Monday and virtually ended Spains chances in the international mixed team competition. Stephens, who beat Serena Williams en route to the 2013 Australian Open semifinals, won nine of the last 10 games in a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Anabel Medina Garrigues in the womens singles before Isner beat Daniel Munoz-de La Nava 6-3, 6-4. Stephens and Isner then combined to win the mixed doubles match for a 3-0 victory. It was Spains second defeat in as many days in Perth after a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic. At the Brisbane International, fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 7-6 (6), No. 8 Carla Suarez beat Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan 6-2, 6-1, and No. 9 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Heather Watson of Britain 6-4, 6-3. Ashleigh Barty, a 17-year-old Australian qualifier, beat 2012 Brisbane finalist Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5 and could face either No. 3-seeded Maria Sharapova or Caroline Garcia of France in the next round. Sharapova, who is making her return from a right shoulder injury, was due to play a night match. The four-time major winner is in the same half of the draw Williams, the defending champion. The star on the mens side is Roger Federer, who has been working with Stefan Edberg in preparation for the Jan. 13-27 Australian Open. Federer is the latest in a line of highly-ranked players who have hired past greats as coaches in the wake of Andy Murrays succcess since he started working with Ivan Lendl.dddddddddddd Novak Djokovic recently announced a partnership with Boris Becker -- a move that surprised Federer. "Not necessarily that he hired somebody ... But Becker I was surprised," Federer said. "I didnt think he wanted to become a coach. I didnt expect to see him back on tour. "Im happy seeing former greats and legends excited to be doing such a job and wanting to help the next generations. To bring them back into the game, its a good thing." In mens first-round matches, Sam Querrey upset seventh-seeded Dmitry Tursunov 7-5, 6-4, Marin Cilic had a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Denis Istomin and Jarkko Nieminen beat local hope James Duckworth 6-2, 6-3. Marinko Matosevic ensured at least one Australian man advanced when he beat Julien Benneteau of France 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4). At the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland, Venus Williams beat Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 7-6 (1) to reach the second round. Venus Williams, with sister Serena, beat Hlavackoa and Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-4 in the doubles gold medal match at the 2012 London Olympics and Venus said she was aware of their history Monday. "Weve played so many important matches in doubles and finals ... Olympic finals and I knew it was going to be tough," Williams said. "I was really glad to close it out." In other first-round matches, Yvonne Meusburger beat seventh-seeded Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-3 and fifth-seeded Jamie Hampton beat wild-card entry Tamira Paszek 1-6, 6-0, 6-3. ' ' '