The 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season was an exciting one for Tony Stewart since he picked up his second Cup championship trophy. These were the days of him racing in the Joe Gibbs Racing outfit. Not long after he collected his trophy, he was invited to meet the then-President of the United States of America, George Bush.
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On the 24th of January, 2006, Stewart, along with his championship-winning car, was parked on the south lawn of the White House. This wasn’t his first time meeting President Bush, in fact, he had been in this exact position in 2002 after winning his first championship in the 2001 season.
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During this meeting, Stewart and the President took photographs with one another. Additionally, the then JGR driver even presented Bush with a custom firesuit with the words, “President Bush” and the American flag on it.
Later on in his career, Smoke would go on to win yet another championship in 2011 and visit the White House for the third time, but this time it was under the Barack Obama administration.
Interesting facts from Tony Stewart’s incredible 2005 championship win
Stewart picked up his second championship at Homestead Miami, edging out Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, who finished second and third respectively. Although for Edwards it was his first full-time Cup Series season, nonetheless he went on to win three races that season. It’s also worth mentioning that Stewart beat Edwards once again in a championship showdown later on in his career when he won his third and perhaps, his most iconic Cup championship.
Regardless, the 2005 season was a masterclass from Stewart who managed to gather five wins, 17 top-fives, and 25 top-10s. That specific season is often considered to be one of his best Cup Series campaigns throughout his career.
Interestingly, after his 2005 win, Tony Stewart also became the only driver who won a championship in both the chase and the non-chase format in NASCAR. Additionally, Stewart also earned a total of $13,578,168, which included $6,173,633 championship-winning money, which broke Jeff Gordon’s previous record of $10,979,757 from the 2001 season.
