Tony Stewart has been the most honest, brash and brutally honest personality to wheel a NASCAR race car. From fiery post-race interviews to helmet throws at his rivals, Smoke didn’t mind ruffling feathers on and off the racetrack. And this quote by the former SHR co-owner sums his personality the best: “I’d wreck my mom to win a championship. I’d wreck your mom to win a championship!”
Although he’s switched lanes to now competing in the NHRA Top Fuel dragster, the intent and passion he displayed during his NASCAR and IndyCar days remain the same. If anything, he’s now accepted his fate on how he will be remembered after his death. And let’s just say, his last wish is Tony Stewart-ish as it can get.
Tony Stewart Drops His Wildest Line That Will Outlive Him
The three-time NASCAR champion sat down with Large on his podcast, Rubbin is Racing. During the show, Large asked Stewart, “So can I say it in front of your face that you are a crazy son of a b—–?” Well, Smoke didn’t hesitate or flinch and owned up to the tag that was bestowed on him. “Oh yeah! Absolutely. It’s gonna be on my gravestone when I die… He had a good time. He enjoyed himself. And he’s a crazy son of a b—–. It’s that simple,” he replied. Having bagged three NASCAR Cup Series championships, an IndyCar title, multiple wins in Sprint Car, NHRA Top Fuel and other disciplines. But Stewart would rather embody his personality trait on his tombstone over his decorated racing career.
Well, he certainly wears his heart on his sleeve and didn’t feel the need to have a filter on his opinions or stance about racing. This was pretty much evident when he confessed the reality about NASCAR as a sport in the modern era, and how he didn’t find value in extending his stay. He called out the charter system and unstable economic model for his exit from the sport and the closure of the Stewart-Haas Racing team.
“The charter agreements are a joke. And if people aren’t smart enough to read between the lines – when someone like Rick Hendrick says, ‘I just got tired of arguing with them.’ Do you think Rick Hendrick runs his business and negotiations and just says, ‘I’m going to just sign this agreement because I’m tired of arguing with you.’ Rick Hendrick’s never done that a day in his life. So, if people aren’t smart enough to read between the lines and figuring out what that means, then you’re all missing the whole big picture all by itself.” He said this in an interview.
With ever-rising costs of operating a race team, bundled by the pressure from NASCAR to sign a new agreement eventually forced Stewart to take an exit route. All in all, for a purist like Stewart, the sport was heading in a different direction, and he simply pulled the plug on his direct involvement as an owner. Not just NASCAR, even prominent journalists didn’t escape Stewart’s wrath.
When Tony Stewart Flattened ESPN’s David Newton
Tony Stewart was already recognized as the most explosive soundbite in NASCAR by 2012. Fans watched post-race interviews to see who would be roasted, and reporters approached him cautiously. However, among Stewart’s extensive history of verbal takedowns, one instance from Richmond Raceway stands out. After a flawless race, the third consecutive one without significant collisions, ESPN’s David Newton posed what appeared to be a harmless jab: “Third straight race there’s been no wreck, I mean, does that amaze you? Have you ever seen anything like that?”
Tony Stewart did not hesitate, “David, only you’d think about stuff like that. I don’t know what you think about during the race, but I try to figure out how to win the race and make my car go fast. I don’t sit there and think of that petty crap that you think of. I’m glad to see you’re back to form.” The question was not only silly, but it also missed the mark in Tony Stewart’s opinion. He believed that racing was about winning, not about wrecks or stories from the media. He had long been annoyed by sensationalist reporting, which was evident in his scathing answer. This was classic Tony, as seen by Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s suppressed chuckle next to him. Stewart’s final remark, “Glad to see you’re back to form,” was a scathing reminder of his past conflicts with reporter David Newton, most notably in 2007.
This was one of the few instances where Tony Stewart was just being himself. And even to this day, he lives by the same code.
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