Tony Stewart - Grounded In Dirt

When comparing those earlier days of driving on dirt, Stewart says there just aren't that many similarities between those cars and his current NASCAR machines. "One aspect that does apply is car control, which is something you really learn on the dirt. But the heavier weight of the stock cars and their different responses make the NASCAR stock cars quite different.

"But I'm really not surprised at how well the open wheel guys with dirt experience have done in NASCAR. And with both myself and Kasey Kahne owning Sprint Car teams, we really talk a lot about those earlier dirt days."

On the dirt in open wheel cars, Tony Stewart has few equals. And that fact can be quickly confirmed by those who competed against him or owned the cars he drove. Although the words are different, they still paint the same picture of a skilled driver who was driven to perfection. Here are some comments from those who raced with Stewart and observed his dirt career.

Jack Hewitt "Back in those USAC open wheel days, Tony was young and aggressive. He had a great touch with those USAC open wheel cars. And as I think back about it, he was about the best seat-of-the-pants driver that I ever saw. No matter the car he was driving, he could always get the most of it and be competitive."

Dave Darland "Tony was one of the most driven and determined drivers I ever saw. I think that he was best in the Sprint Cars and Midgets, but he also was very good in the Champ Dirt Cars."

Tracy Hines "Tony can see the track ahead. He was usually the first guy to find the best line around the track. He was a thinking open wheel driver that always got the best out of his equipment. He was so determined to win!"

Greg Staab "There was always a push to get better with Tony. He wanted to go fast. He worked with good people, and had the quickest driver learning curve I ever saw. I'm certainly not surprised at the success he enjoyed in NASCAR and the IRL."

Brian Tyler "Tony was a good driver in any type of open wheel car. He was a heck of a driver and knew how to drive the car smoothly. He expected to win every time he went out on the racetrack."

Rollie Helmling, Car Owner "He drove Midgets for me in 1994 and won the famous Hut 100 race. I had him in an experimental car and he pretty much figured it out. I sure gave him a lot of credit for that. They say that 25 percent of the success equation is the car and 75 percent is the driver. In Tony's case, I think he provided more than that percentage."

Tony Stewart doesn't have a lot of spare time outside of his NASCAR responsibilities, but most of those precious moments are spent with dirt racing in mind.

As is well known, he owns Eldora Speedway, and among the other requirements of the owner, he can frequently be seen on a grader working on the famous dirt track.

He also brought the Prelude to the Dream to the track, with a number of Nextel Cup drivers racing Dirt Late Model stock cars, including several drivers in those type cars for the first time. Of course, Stewart is right out there with them. Racing on the dirt is still his passion and he does it whenever he can.

He's got a couple Dirt Late Models that he drives when time allows, along with winged and non-winged Sprint Cars, Midgets, and Modifieds. He is also the co-owner of two other dirt tracks, in Macon, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky.

He also fields a potent USAC open wheel team with a number of cars competing. And he's involved with the winged sprint World of Outlaws group where he has fielded teams. In his rookie year with WoO in 2001, his team won the championship with Danny Lasoski as the driver.

So even though he's a national star on the tarmac, his real love is still with the material that's underneath it-dirt.