In 1999, Nascar was coming to the end of an era. Richard Petty no longer was racing. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was, unbeknownst to all, coming to the end of his career. The old school drivers like Darrel Waltrip, Bobby Allison, and Bill Elliot were all either retired or coming to the close of their careers. The modern, upscale, era was beginning. And the last traces of Nascar’s beginings were fading. The old school boys were done. Or so they thought. That was before a kid from Indiana decided to join the club.

Tony Stewart was born and raised in the tiny town of Colombus, Indiana. He grew up with a go-kart, and a dream. He raced from a yooung age, and quickly established himself as a serious contender in every series he raced in. In fact, in 2006 he said, “I’ve raced in 22 different cars, and I have won in 21 of them.” Wow. That is pretty good. After racing in several sprint, midget, and go-kart series as a teen, Stewart became an Indy Car driver. And in 1997, he became an Indy Car Series champion. What other title could he want? Well, in 1999, Stewart fixed his eyes on the Nascar Winston Cup Series.

Driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot Pontiac, Stewart began his Cup career. At first, not much was expected of him. Back in the old days, rookies weren’t supposed to be good. They were supposed to run in the middle of the pack. Until Stewart, no rookie had ever won more than 3 races. Well, Stewart decided that rookies shouldn’t be considered underdogs.

Stewart won 3 times, tying the record set by Davey Allison, and he finished fourth in points. How was that possible? The kid from the Indy Car Series actually had success? Apparently.

But 99′ was just the start. In 2000 he won 6 times. Pretty good. And then in 2001, he finished second in points to Jeff Gordon. But wins and points weren’t his only highlights. Stewart was known to have an almost vicious temper. Several incidents on the track or with reporters gave Stewart a reputation as a ‘bad boy’ in Nascar.

However, many old school fans found this appealing. Tony wasn’t a driver who raced for money. He didn’t host Saturday Night Live. He didn’t live in a 3 story house. He didn’t try to get interviewed. He lived in his childhood home. He resented going to the media center. And he raced for fun, not for money. He raced because it was in  his blood. He raced to win.

Well, in 2002, Stewart accomplished what no one had ever done before. He became the first driver to win both an Indy Car and Nascar championship. No one has ever accomplished that, before Stewart or since.

After 2002, Stewart switched from driving a Pontiac to a Chevrolet. And in 2005, he won yet another championship. It seemed Stewart was now invincible. He was consistently winning races, and almost always at the front of the pack. And he drove old school, never afraid to use his bumper.

But then came 3 things: 1- The hated Car of Tomorrow. 2- Toyota. And 3- Jimmie Johnson.

The Car Of Tomorrow defied stock car racing history. Instead of a spoiler, it had a fin on the back. And rather than a regular splitter, it had a modified splitter. But the racing in this car was not impressive. Finishes were rarely interesting. Races were often dominated by one driver.

As if this new car wasn’t a big enough change for Stewart, Joe Gibbs Racing changed manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota. Stewart drove with Toyota for just one year, 2008. In that year, he won just one race, and was never a factor in the champioship chase.

The final straw for Stewart was Jimmie Johnson. Johnson was already a proven winner as of 2005, when Stewart won his second championship. But then, Johnson did what no one had done before. He won 5 straight championships. While his accoplishment was incredible, it had a disaterous effect on Nascar.

Johnson’s pure dominance drove fans crazy. No matter what, Jimmie was always dominating. Old school fans, the ones who had grown up going to the dirt tracks to watch races, found Jimmie’s modern personality unpleasent. Not that Johnson was rude, he just wasn’t what fans would call an old school racer. Yes he raced because he loved racing, but he wasn’t the aggressive, hard charging, type driver. All he ever did was dominate. He didn’t win by bumping his oponent on the last lap. He won by being a half a lap ahead.

While Johnson dominated, Stewart began to work to make nessecary changes to improve his ability to beat Johnson. In the middle of 2008, Stewart announced he was going to partner with team owner Gene Hass to form a new team: Stewart-Hass Racing. He would drive the No. 14 Chevrolet.

In 2009, Stewart’s new team began. At first no one expected much from him. No owner-driver had won a championship since 1992. Well, Stewart was always one for first times. In 2009, Tony won 4 races, and the All-Star race. In 2010, he won 2 races.

Then came 2011. Stewart started strong, but then slumped during the middle of the season. He managed to make the Chase, but just barely. Stewart himself said, ‘”We don’t deserve to be in the Chase, because I’ll just be taking the place of a driver who could win it. There are 8 drivers who can win this thing, and I’m not one of them.”‘ Yeah, it was that bad.

But then Stewart did something unthought of. He started the chase with two wins, and over the next several races ran well, and won two more times. Suddenly, he was a contender. Stewart, when asked after his win in Martinsville whether or not he could beat points leader Carl Edwards in the next 3 weeks, said ‘”He better be worried, that’s all I’ve got to say. He isn’t gonna have an easy three weeks.”‘ Stewart made good on his promise, and he beat Carl Edwards in a tie breaker, something never before accomplished.

Stewart has had a rough time since 2011. In 2013 his leg was broken in a sprint car wreck. Then in 2014, he accidentaly hit fellow sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr., killing him. And now, just two weeks before the season opening 2016 Daytona 500, Stewart was injured in a non-racing ATV accident.

While the past few years reflect badly on Stewart’s career, one must not forget the effect he has had on the sport. His exciting style, his aggressiveness, and his pure desire to be a winner make him an amazing racer. Also, Stewart was the last of the old school type drivers. Now that he has announced he is retiring after 2016, it is evident that Nascar is moving into a new era. But let’s not mourn the retirment of Stewart. Let’s take this last season to celebrate what he has done.

 

Thanks For The Memories Smoke!