Tony Stewart was caught in two polar opposite emotions on Sunday. He was both in a celebratory and critical mood after winning the NHRA drag race at Route 66 Raceway.
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Stewart was obviously excited about winning a Top Fuel race for the second time in three races. He had also reached the final round in each of the last four races, recording two wins and two runner-up finishes in that stretch.
He also took over the lead in the NHRA points standings for the first time in his brief drag racing career. In only his second full-time season in top-level NHRA competition, he has become the hottest name in straight-line motorsport. But Stewart was also hot about NASCAR, his former racing series.
The 53-year-old is enjoying himself and having a ball in NHRA, and believes NASCAR could learn a few lessons about rivalries and fan engagement from the drag racing world.
“I know NHRA wants all of us to have rivalries and drama and BS that NASCAR and all that bulls**t that they deal with over there,” Stewart said, just getting started. “They [NASCAR] can kiss our a**. They can take that and stuff it up their a** for all I care.”
Stewart continued about NASCAR, “It’s great for them. It’s not great for us.” He then turned to some of the positives of being a professional drag racer.
“We’re driving 300-mile-an-hour cars, and it’s okay for us to respect and like each other and have to compete against each other at this level,” Stewart said.
“I like the atmosphere that NHRA provides. I’m very happy about my decision to be where I am at. So, when you race against Justin Ashley [who Stewart defeated in Sunday’s NHRA race], I guarantee you I can go on my cell phone right now and there’s a text message from Justin Ashley and Mike Ashley congratulating us,” he added.
Stewart emphasized that the camaraderie and spirit within NHRA are often overlooked. While he acknowledged that NHRA might feel the pressure to emulate the drama seen in NASCAR, he stressed that the series doesn’t need to follow that path.
“They have something that nobody has. They have an atmosphere here that is family-friendly, that is fan-friendly, that is competitor-friendly, and that we all like each other,” said the three-time Cup Series champion.
“I was with [fellow Top Fuel driver and four-time champ] Steve Torrance and [his wife] Natalie in their motorhome until 10:30 last night. We’re camping together. And that’s the stuff that I like about our sport,” he explained.
“When you line up against them, you want to beat them. We joke around saying, ‘Yeah, you want to put your foot on their throat and make their face turn blue’. But that’s competitors, and that only lasts for three and a half seconds,” Stewart elaborated about the emotions in NHRA.
Incidentally, three and a half seconds is also how long an average Top Fuel run lasts. For Stewart, NHRA bonds run much deeper.
“But when you get to the top end [past the finish line on the drag strip], whoever loses, you congratulate each other. And it doesn’t have to be cutthroat all the time. It’s respect,” he continued.
“And that’s what NHRA has. These teams, these drivers, they all respect each other. And that’s what I really love about this sport. It makes wins like today mean that much more because it’s an element they don’t have in NASCAR,” said Stewart.
“Those other drivers [in NASCAR] aren’t going up there after a win, going ‘Man, hey, congrats’. They’re mad because they lost to somebody. And that’s what you have to be over there. But it doesn’t have to be like that over here. And that’s what I really love about NHRA,” added the veteran racer.
Stewart admits when he first drove his wife Leah Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster in a test in Las Vegas three years ago, he was hooked. It was a life-changing event — and he’s been having quite a few life-changing events since then.
“[Driving Pruett’s car] just fueled the fire,” Stewart said. “So now we go down the road, we’re married, we’ve got a son, I’m driving a car, and we’ve won two races now. It’s like, how does it get better than this?”
Now that he no longer has any formal ties to NASCAR — since Stewart-Haas Racing closed up shop at the end of last season — he has no fear of speaking his mind about his former racing series. And there’s nothing NASCAR can do anymore to Stewart for anything he says. What are they going to do, fine him?
Stewart will likely continue speaking out about NASCAR until he sees some positive changes, much like the good things he sees in the NHRA. However, “contrary to everybody’s popular belief, I am still a NASCAR fan,” said Stewart.
Yes. Despite his harsh words, Stewart admits he is still in love with NASCAR.
