When Tony Stewart Was ‘Replaced’ As Grand Marshal for Homestead Race After “So Mad At NASCAR” Rant

Tony Stewart is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. The former driver and co-owner’s impact on the sport cannot be understated. However, like many other drivers before and after him, he too has had his fair share of trials and tribulations with the sanctioning body. One such “Cold War” went down in 2022.

The 2022 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a race that Stewart, as a sports icon and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, was supposed to become Grand Marshal for. However, days ahead of the race, he was replaced by country singer Kip Moore. This might have been discarded as a random occurrence under any other circumstance.

But the incidents that led to it are what make things rather interesting. Stewart had made the headlines earlier that October for criticizing NASCAR for certain penalties it had issued to his team. Kevin Harvick had been fined $100,000 for failing post-race inspection at Talladega. Later, the driver and crew chief were again fined for trying to manipulate the race at the Charlotte ROVAL.

Stewart expressed his disappointment, “I’m so mad at NASCAR right now. I’m not talking about it. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve got appearances to make, I wouldn’t be at another NASCAR race for the rest of the year. Wouldn’t waste my time.” After the penalties were announced, he went out on X and threw another blow.

He wrote that he was looking for a hobby that wasn’t Southeastern-based and that he wanted suggestions on something that was low on drama and relaxing. It was pretty obvious that he did not like being punished. However, both the promotion and his team held the position that his being replaced as the Grand Marshal wasn’t a result of his disappointment and his comments thereafter.

His public relations team made a statement explaining that his schedule was already packed that weekend and that he didn’t want to further push it. A team spokesperson also added that it was just a scheduling issue and that Stewart wanted to make time to meet some important team partners at the track.

Years later, there is no way to learn if this was the actual reason, or if Stewart simply didn’t want to entertain NASCAR. Either way, we all probably know what the answer to that question is. Currently, Stewart fills his time drag racing and raising a family with his wife, Leah Pruett, with whom he also fathers a son, Dominic James Stewart, born in late 2024.