“If I Want to Learn Something…”: When Rusty Wallace Paid Tony Stewart the Highest Compliment as a Race Car Driver

NASCAR icon Rusty Wallace has driven alongside some of the greats of stock car racing. But he holds the three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart on a much higher pedestal than the other elites. Wallace’s admiration was evident in how he described Stewart during a 2010 interview.

When asked to which driver he would send a rookie to learn from, Wallace named Stewart without even pausing to think. “Here is the deal,” he had said, before explaining the choice.

“Tony understands where young racers come from. If he’s got time, Tony could put his arm around you and say, ‘OK, here’s what I would do, and here’s what I wouldn’t do and this is what you should be wary of’,” added Wallace.

Chase Elliott was one such young driver whom Stewart inspired. The Hendrick Motorsports star has often mentioned how warm and approachable Stewart is to youngsters. Chase Briscoe is another driver whom Tony mentored during their time together in Stewart-Haas Racing.

Wallace, in the interview, also named Stewart as one of the most talented drivers he has come across in NASCAR.

“Stewart is an all-around racer”: Wallace

Wallace, the 1989 Cup Series champion, mentioned three drivers — Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Stewart — when asked whom he thought were the most talented drivers in the sport.

He had a reason to name each of them. “There’s so many different ways to break that down,” Wallace began his explanation.

“I just love how Jimmie Johnson is polished on and off the racetrack. He’s the all-around best because he’s great for his sponsors, he’s great to his fans, he’s great to the media, and he’s such a friggin’ thinker when it comes to being a driver.” 

He chose Busch for his brute, competitive nature. “And Tony Stewart sticks in my mind because he’s just an all-around racer,” added Wallace.

To be talked about in such a high manner by a fellow racer, who has had an illustrious career himself, attests to Stewart’s greatness. It also shows the camaraderie the racers had despite being competitors on the track.