Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart calls it just being honest, the many comments he’s made about other drivers, NASCAR, and anything else that stands in his way. Stewart says he’s learned that some things are best left unsaid, but in this interview with Stock Car Racing, he has much he wants to talk about.

SCR: At times in your career, you’ve been labeled as one of the sport’s bad boys mainly because you say what’s on your mind. Then again, some of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, such as Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, have done the same thing. Do you feel like that adversity fires you up?

Stewart: I didn’t realize speaking my mind made me a bad boy. That’s what kind of confuses me about that labeling. Just because I speak my mind makes me a bad guy? I thought that’s what our country was all about. It’s kind of odd because people should be honest. I guess it’s getting more and more like wrestling every day because people don’t really take things for what they are anymore. When I go to a short-track race and watch those drivers, I see fans who are respectful of their time and let them do their thing. After the race is over, they can come down and talk to the driver and get autographs. It’s kind of a weird era now because our sport is turning into the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) to a certain degree. I guess if speaking your mind makes you a bad boy then there are millions of bad boys in this country. There are so many penalties and negatives that go along with speaking your mind in this series, that’s why you don’t see that with a lot of the other drivers. It’s like freedom of speech doesn’t really exist when it comes to NASCAR.

SCR: During driver introductions before the start of a race you’re, hands down, one of the three or four guys that get the biggest response, whether the fans are cheering or jeering. Does hearing people boo when your name is called bother you, or do you believe that as long as they’re making some kind of noise, that means you’re getting the job done behind the wheel?

Stewart: That’s exactly right. There are 42 other drivers who start each race and, like you say, we’re one of three or four guys that 100-percent of the people, whether they like or dislike you, will make some type of noise for. It seems like now I’m about 50-50 as far as the fans go. I don’t think hearing the fans booing me is such a bad thing anymore.

SCR: You made the comment a couple of years ago when talking about some of your past mistakes that there was no guideline of how a Winston Cup driver was supposed to think and act. As you’ve matured, what have you learned from that aspect of things?

Stewart: I don’t know if it’s maturing so much as just seeing the handwriting on the wall. That goes against everything your parents taught you growing up as a child. When you get in my position, you learn that honesty is not the best policy. Even if you’re right, some people don’t want to hear it. They’ve got a picture of how they think things are, and that’s the way they want it to be.

SCR: If there is one thing that you’ve done in Winston Cup racing that you could take back, what would that be and why?

Stewart: It would be a lot of the things I have said as well as some of the actions I’ve done. It has really taken away from what I was trying to do in the car. With our sport as clean as it is, anytime you do anything just a little bit off par, it really gets blown out of proportion. If anything, I would have learned in 1999 to roll with the punches and do like most of the other drivers in giving out vanilla answers instead of waiting until 2002.

SCR: If there were one thing or trait in yourself that you could change, what would that be?

Stewart: I guess I would want to be more passive. There are a lot of things that I don’t agree with, and I know they aren’t right, but I’m not in a position to change them. The people who are in a position to change those things don’t really care to change them right now. If anything, I suppose I would want to be able to close my eyes and ears and let things just go on by because I can’t change them. Most people don’t get to see some of the real problems in our series; but at the same time, if you start talking about those things, you start seeing problems from other directions.

SCR: Before the season started, you made the comment that you were going to eliminate outside distractions, such as dealing with the press, in order to focus on the task at hand. Has the media been easier to work with this year?

Stewart: I don’t think so. Dealing with the media for 38 weekends a year allows you to learn a lot about the individual reporters. You learn which ones you can trust and which ones will stab you in the back in a heartbeat. It wasn’t that we wanted to eliminate a lot of the media. We just wanted to be very selective about who I did interviews with. We’ve had to prioritize whom I give that time to. If it’s a reporter I’ve had problems with in the past, they’ve proven they’re not worth my taking the time to do interviews with them. We keep a list of who are the friends and who are the foes, so I am very selective about the members of the media I will spend time with.

SCR: What’s the best thing NASCAR has going in its favor and one area the sanctioning body could improve upon?

Stewart: The best thing is the people. The fans of NASCAR are the best group of fans in the world. You can’t find more passionate and dedicated fans. As far as what I think could be done to make it better, people need to realize that this isn’t wrestling. As much as it’s about the show, the reason NASCAR got as big as it has is because they put on good races. It’s not about the politics and NASCAR making all this money they’re making these days. Race fans shouldn’t have to pay the prices they’re paying now to go see a Winston Cup race. Right now, it’s just a little bit ridiculous.

SCR: After finishing last in the season-opener at Daytona, you’ve had an uphill battle as far as the point race was concerned. What was the key to getting back into contention for the championship?

Stewart: We didn’t do anything different than what we normally do. It’s just because of the fact that we as a team have all been able to do our jobs. Even after Daytona, we got off to a much better start than we normally do. Once we reached that point early in the season, it was just a matter of trying to be consistent.

SCR: You’ve said that, for whatever reason, you’ve been a slow starter as far as the point race is concerned. What has been the difference this season? Are there any certain areas you can pinpoint?

Stewart: Not really. We tested at Las Vegas and that helped us a great deal when we raced there. I think a lot of stuff we learned at that early test, as well as some things we found last fall, really helped us to get off to a good start this year.

SCR: Many have said that with your past in open-wheel racing, you would never feel as if your career was complete without winning the Indianapolis 500. Do you really feel that way?

Stewart: I think I’ve had a good career no matter what happens in the future. If my career ended tomorrow, I would feel like it was a great one. Sentimentally, I really do want to win the Indianapolis 500. Then again, I don’t know if I’ll ever do that race again after last year. It’s hard to say what I’m going to do because it is so hard trying to do both races. It’s getting harder and harder to try and run that race when I’m not running in that series on a regular basis. I feel like some of those guys are getting ahead of me as far as the technology and setups. For me, it’s just hard to try and focus on running the Indianapolis 500 because I’m trying to win the Winston Cup championship.

SCR: How much help do you think your open-wheel racing background translated into success in stock cars?

Stewart: I think a race car is a race car because they all have four wheels, a brake, and a gas pedal. So I don’t think it’s that big a difference between open wheel and stock cars. With my running the Midgets and the Sprints, I probably learned to drive a loose car a long time ago.

SCR: What advice would you give to young drivers with aspirations of making it to Winston Cup racing?

Stewart: I’d tell them to make sure this is what they want to do before they get here. With million dollar contracts and multiyear deals, once you are here you’re here until all those contracts are done. From the outside looking in, it looks great but it’s a lot of hard work. Young drivers need to make sure this is truly what they want to do. I love the sport and people involved in Winston Cup racing. All the officials and people in this sport are great to be around, but to me some of the politics takes away from how good it could really be.

SCR: How much do you miss the good old days of Friday- and Saturday-night racing?

Stewart: I miss them every single day.

SCR: As far as your racing career goes, what motivates you the most?

Stewart: Winning is what it’s all about. To be able to go out on the track and beat people and be competitive, that’s what it’s all about. There’s not a better feeling in the world.

SCR: You’re a young, single driver, living what almost anyone would consider a dream life. How far from reality is that when you take into account the time you’re away from home?

Stewart: Anybody who thinks I’m living a dream life, they’re the ones who are dreaming. I have not been home in 2½ weeks to do stuff I’ve wanted to do. Being able to go out and run some of the short-track races I’ve done recently has been fun. In all reality, there have been a lot of things I love and enjoy that I’ve not had the time to do. There is a price. For every amount of success and fame you have, you lose part of your personal life along with it. Right now is a perfect example, because while I’m talking with you, my girlfriend and buddy are at the mall shopping. I’d much rather be hanging out with her, but you know as well as I do there is no way I could spend two normal hours at the mall. That’s just unrealistic. It doesn’t mean the people are bad; they just see you and they get all excited and it starts drawing attention to where you end up doing an autograph session at the mall. It’s not a big glamorous life, but when I was racing in the Busch Series I thought it would be. Once I got in this position, I realized I couldn’t do all the normal things I was used to doing.

SCR: At this point in your life, have you started to think about getting married and having children, or are you still just concentrating on your racing career?

Stewart: I’m probably still more focused on my racing career than anything. I’ve met a really neat girl from California who I’ve been seeing and I enjoy spending time with her. She’s a little bit younger than me and isn’t in a hurry either. So we’re just kind of enjoying each other right now and not in a big hurry to do anything.

SCR: If you had a job outside of racing, what career path do you think you would have followed?

Stewart: I’ve never really thought about it because I’ve always been involved in racing in one form or another. There was one year that dad and I ran out of money and I had to quit my go-kart racing. I ended up being the assistant flagman at the track instead.

SCR: What active driver in Winston Cup racing do you admire the most?

Stewart: There are a lot of guys who I really look up to. One of those drivers is Ricky Rudd. I admire him because of his honesty. I admire Mark Martin because of how smart he is during the races. I also admire my teammate, Bobby Labonte, for taking the amount of time that he has taken to spend with me as well as all his work to get me where I am in my career. So there are a lot of drivers I look up to for each of the aspects they bring to the sport.

SCR: When fans think of the name Tony Stewart, what do you want them to think of?

Stewart: I want them to think of me as someone who was competitive at everything he ever drove. I’ve won championships in Midgets, Sprints, and Silver Crown cars all the way down to go-karts. That’s how I want people to remember me. Knowing I was competitive and won races in every type of car I’ve ever driven is probably the thing I’m most proud of right now.

SCR: What do you think you’ll you be doing 25 years from now?

Stewart: I’ll be racing, but it won’t be in Winston Cup. There are a lot of things in Winston Cup racing that are going to have to change before it will become tolerable again. I see things getting a lot worse before they get better in our sport. In my conversations with some of the higher powers, it looks like there are a few of us who see the handwriting on the wall and it’s hard to believe that they don’t. There will be a time when I say I’ve had enough and I’ll be ready to move on. Until then, I’m going to continue to give 110 percent.

SCR: What is the perfect day away from the track for you?

Stewart: Being able to go to a Midget or a Sprint car race and not having to answer any questions about Winston Cup racing. That’s perfect to me.