What Are NASCAR Legend Tony Stewart’s Favorite Race Tracks?

While Tony Stewart holds impressive win records at Watkins Glen with five victories, and at Daytona International Speedway with four, these tracks don’t top his list of favorites. Throughout his NASCAR career, Stewart amassed 62 race wins, with 49 of those victories coming in the Cup Series.

Daytona International Speedway stands out as his most victorious track, where he claimed a total of 11 wins across the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series. Notably, his most dominant performance unfolded at the 2006 Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he crossed the finish line a remarkable 12.422 seconds ahead of Casey Mears.

However, Stewart holds a special affection for Eldora Speedway, a track that continues to challenge and excite him due to its demanding nature. Reminiscing on his diverse racing experiences, Stewart shared,

“As a driver, Elora still scares me a little bit. I was good in non-wing cars there. I was okay in a wing car. I was not very good in a 410-wing car there. I went really well in a dirt late model there as well. Chili Bowl to me is one of the most iconic tracks I mean and mainly because the people that go there.”

Besides that, he expressed a particular liking for Houston Speedway as well as Ohsweken Speedway, a dirt track in Canada, noting, “Ohsweken Speedway is a dirt track in Canada that I’m extremely fond of. The promoter there was a good friend of mine…”

When it comes to NASCAR circuits, Richmond and Sonoma are among his favorites due to their unique challenges and enjoyable racing conditions. For IndyCar, Stewart reminisced about the original layout of Phoenix before its reconfiguration, saying, “I love the old Phoenix before they reconfigured Phoenix I loved racing IndyCar at Phoenix.”

Does Tony Stewart own Eldora Speedway?

Although Stewart confessed to being scared of the Eldora Speedway, the ‘Big E’ is owned by the three-time NASCAR Cup Champion himself. Stewart acquired Eldora from the legendary promoter Earl Baltes in 2004 and notched a victory there during the 2021 SRX event.

Recently, the speedway appointed Levi Jones, a USAC Hall of Famer and current Indy NXT director, as its new general manager. Amid swirling rumors in June about the potential sale of the half-mile oval in Rossburg, Ohio, Stewart cleared the air during a broadcast of the Thursday night Dirt Late Model Dream on FloRacing. He emphatically denied the sale, asserting,

“I don’t know who was really bored and thought they would play a nice practical joke at home, but this track is not sold and it is not for sale. This is a tradition with Earl and Berneice (Baltes) that they started back in 1954 that we’re proud to be owners of this race track.”

Stewart currently is dedicating his time predominantly to his family life and NHRA drag racing.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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