On September 30, 2015 Tony Stewart, the three time foremost Sprint Cup Series Nascar champion driver, announced his retirement from the world of car racing, following the competitive 2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, the Southern 500 and Daytona 500.
He stated that he has contemplated this decision for quite some time, and is content with himself. Furthermore he stated that he is not leaving the sport that he loves, or is walking away from something that he is passionate about. Rather, he is simply changing roles, which is like moving to a different position in a company.
Smoke’s Resume
He is the most popular and accomplished champion, to ever compete in Nascar’s marquee series. He is the only driver in the history of racing, to capture the three major U.S. Club National Championships: Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown, in a season.Since his rookie year 1996 through 2013, he has won the Nascar Sprint Cup Series fifteen straight times and eleven Nascar Xfinity Series wins. In 1996, he was the Indy 500 Rookie of the race, and in 1997, he became the Indy Car Champion. In 1999 at the Memorial Day “double” he finished ninth in the Indy 500, and fourth in Nascar’s Coca-Cola 600, in North Carolina. In 2006, he won the IROC Championship. (In 2001, he was runner up). He also won twice, in the Nascar Camping World Truck Series in the top five ten finishes.
Tony Stewart has quite an impressive and competitive record, for four decades behind the wheel. His skill and tenacity has led him not only, towards winning the three premier series as driver in 2002,2005, and 2011, but also two separate wins as owner of Nascar in 2011 and 2014. He has additionally accumulated forty eight victories, and won over countless hearts throughout his career.
He gained a reputation as being a kind of throw back talent, in comparison to racing greats A.J. Foyt and Dale Earnhardt.
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At his retirement announcement, which surprised everyone to say the least, he named his successor, Clint Bowyer. This put an end, to all the speculations and rumors, that have been floating in the air, regarding his replacement. Tony Stewart’s namesake Stewart Haas, is the current reigning racing team’s Sprint Cup owner.
Tony Stewart’s attention at this time is steering him towards his beloved Eldora Speedway in Ohio, and to concentrate on being a team owner. He already has twenty three national titles as team owner. Last summer, he attained his tenth Knoxville Nationals trophy, in the World of Outlaws/Sprint Car Series, driven by Donny Schatz, who has up to now won five World of Outlaws/Sprint Car Series championships for Tony Stewart.