Tony Stewart is highly regarded as one of the best NASCAR drivers in history. He won three Cup Series championships in the heyday of the sport and serves as a role model for every young driver who dreams of a successful career in motorsports. But one lesser-known story is of how he went through hell to forge himself into the legend that he became.
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Stewart was a successful driver in the IndyCar Series before he entered NASCAR’s ovals. Change is always a difficult hurdle to overcome in any profession, and it was for Stewart as well. Joe Gibbs spoke about this in a recent conversation with Kevin Harvick. He detailed how he convinced the driver to come to NASCAR in the late 1990s and eventually helped him adapt to stock car racing.
Stewart had told Gibbs before signing for him that he wasn’t ready for the Cup Series. So, the benefactor put him in the Xfinity Series in 1998. Notably, this was a year after Stewart was crowned the IndyCar Series champion.
Remembering Stewart’s Xfinity struggles, Gibbs said, “That man wrecked more cars, and sometimes he would wreck three times! I would say, ‘Hey, just park it after the first time for crying out loud.’ And he didn’t win a race. Matt Kenseth beat him at, I think it was Rockingham. It was the closest that he came.”
Stewart finished that season 21st in the points table after wrecking one too many cars. Even then, Gibbs’ faith in him never wavered. In 1999, Stewart secured a seat in the Cup Series — and he vindicated that trust.
He secured three wins that season to finish fourth in the rankings. His maiden championship came in 2002. Looking back at it all, Gibbs can feel nothing but profound joy at those great times. He continued to swell with pride at the kind of character Stewart was.
“At times, there were things that came up,” he noted. “You know what I mean. But we kind of handled them. I’ll tell you the great thing about Tony.
“Whatever the mess was, the next day, he honestly would say, ‘Tell me what I gotta do. Tell me. The sponsor, what do I have to do? I have to pay money? What do I have to do?’ And so, it was really, really enjoyable with him and he helped us get started.”
Stewart, 54, is currently competing in the NHRA Top Fuel class. It has been years since he parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing. But he still remains the golden standard for every driver who bears the team’s banner on the race track.
