Q&A WITH TONY STEWART

3-TIME NASCAR CHAMP LOOKS BACK AT HIS CAREER

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

The name Tony Stewart resonates across many forms of auto racing from sprint cars and Indy cars to NASCAR’s premier Cup Series.

The Columbus, Indiana, native made an indelible mark on motorsports as one of the greatest drivers to ever turn a steering wheel. After retiring from NASCAR racing in 2016, Stewart’s attention turned to team ownership, but he will slide back into a sprint car as often as his schedule allows simply for the joy of it.

Our interesting visit with the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion offers insight into his accomplishments as well as his deep passion for the sport.

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF AUTO RACING?

That would probably be my father taking me to qualifications at Indianapolis for the 500. I can’t even remember what year it was. It’s been a long time ago, but that’s my first memory.

WHO ARE YOUR MOTORSPORTS HEROES AND WHY?

I would say Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR, Rick Mears in Indy cars and Steve Kinser and Doug Wolfgang in the World of Outlaws. They all got 110 percent out of their cars every week.

WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RACING CAREER?

Probably a combination of my father, Nelson Stewart, and former Indy car driver Mark Dismore. They were the people who really pushed me and guided me in the right direction when I was younger. They showed me what to look for and what to watch out for, and they also made sure I didn’t get myself in trouble when I was moving from one series to another.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START FOLLOWING A.J. FOYT’S CAREER AND HOW DID YOU EVENTUALLY MEET HIM AND FORM A FRIENDSHIP?

Honestly, and it is still something that sticks in my mind, it was the Indy 500 where he got out of the car, started whacking on it with a hammer and then climbed back in. I thought, “Man after I hit it that hard with a hammer, I wouldn’t have climbed in it and drove it.” It was hard not to notice that. There wasn’t another driver out there in that era, and definitely not a driver in this era of Indy car racing, that would do what he did and has done what he has done in his career. I think ever since then, that was just one of those moments when I was young that really stood out.

HOW HAS YOUR CLOSE FRIENDSHIP WITH FOYT GROWN?

When I drove for him in 1994 and some in 1996 and 1997 in the Silver Crown car, we got to be such close friends. You kind of start looking back. Obviously, he reminds you of how many races he has won when you talk to him, so you didn’t have to look it up. You look at races when he went and ran Indy and then went to Milwaukee as the only driver in the top 16 or 18 that wasn’t in a rear-engine car. He was sitting on the pole in a roadster style car. It’s those things that you look back at and that’s what makes you gain more respect for him.

You know he’s kind of done it on his own the whole time. He’s done it his way and has made it successful. It is just like that as time goes on you realize this guy thinks a lot like the way you think; it has always made us get along well.

HAVE YOU HAD A DEFINING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER? IF SO, WHAT WAS IT?

There have been a lot of small moments, I guess, where I felt like I had accomplished what I set out to do in a certain series and felt like I was ready to move on. It’s no different than the corporate ladder, really. I think the moment when I felt that I was a true, professional race car driver was in 1995 when I won all three USAC national championships. Once I did that, I felt that my decision to try and become a professional race car driver – to make a living – was justified. I had only been driving professionally for two years up to that point, so at that particular moment in my life, my decision to become a professional was justified.

TALK ABOUT WINNING THE BRICKYARD 400 TWICE AT INDIANAPOLIS AND WHAT THAT MEANT TO YOU?

The first Brickyard 400 win in 2005 was a little bit bittersweet to be perfectly honest. All I wanted to do all my life was win the Indianapolis 500, but having the opportunity to pull into Victory Lane there was an experience of a lifetime. You’re happy to have that moment but at the same time I was sad that I didn’t do it in an Indy car like I wanted to do while growing up.

I actually got to enjoy it more in 2007 because it wasn’t the first time anymore and it wasn’t a matter of, “Will we ever accomplish our goal of winning at Indianapolis?” We had the win. That was done.

YOU’VE WON NUMEROUS RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SPRINT CARS, INDY CARS AND NASCAR’S CUP SERIES AS A DRIVER AS WELL AS RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS AS A TEAM OWNER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

It’s very humbling. You know, obviously, 10 years ago we were a two-car team at (Stewart-Haas Racing). We didn’t know where we would end up 10 years later. At that point, we knew what we wanted to do and what our goal was, but still with that and the technology is so great and changes so fast in our sport, you can never predict where everything is going to end up. You have to do the work. You have to have the right people in place, and the rest of it has to work itself out.

The Problem

Self-defense with any weapon can be the start of a legal nightmare. However, there are some critical steps you can take to help minimize the legal fallout. Defensive incidents do not always involve pulling the trigger. Simply brandishing a weapon as a warning to stop a threat can cause legal jeopardy. Suppose the defensive actor does not call 911; why would they? They stopped an actual crime from occurring… but an onlooker witnessed this action and calls the police. Now the defender faces possible arrest, an expensive defense, and prison time. Buying a gun or weapon is only step one. Step two is training yourself to use it. Step three? The law. You need an attorney, licensed in your state, who knows gun law; that’s where we come in. Even though you shot to stop your attacker, law enforcement arrives on the scene ready to investigate the guy with the gun. They will be the first of many tasked with dissecting your split-second decision. Did you shoot too soon? Did you shoot too late? Did you shoot too many times? Did you overreact entirely? Police officers understand this situation well. They are frequently forced to react in defense incidents. What they also understand is how to respond immediately following a critical incident. Most police agencies allow time for an officer involved in a shooting to gather their thoughts, review video footage, and compare notes. In most instances, they are not required to make a statement for 72 hours (or more in many jurisdictions). Finally, in most cases they have an attorney on their side right away. Unfortunately, civilians aren’t generally given the same leeway as law enforcement officers, and will be asked for an immediate statement. With your adrenaline pumping, on the worst day of your life, having an attorney by your side for that first police statement can be the difference between sleeping in your own bed that night or laying your head down on the concrete slab of a jail cell.

The Solution

Why shouldn’t an everyday, law-abiding gun owner have access to similar protections as law enforcement officers? Self-defense incidents don’t always happen during normal business hours! Every day, law-abiding gun owners need immediate access to an attorney—day or night, even at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning. You also need access to legal education, taught in plain English, produced by experienced legal minds who know your state’s gun laws and are well versed in self-defense cases.

Finally, to ensure true peace of mind, the law-abiding gun owner needs to know that their attorney is on their side until the very end of the legal process. Today’s world demands a new kind of protection for the law-abiding gun owner—protection that extends beyond the simple act of self-defense.

All legal services are provided by independent third-party program attorneys. U.S. LawShield, LLC, Texas LawShield, LLC, and certain affiliates are not law firms, but pre-paid legal services companies or similar entities regulated under state law, which provide benefits and coverage for their members. Membership in the U.S. LawShield Legal Defense for Self-Defense Program is not a guarantee of any particular outcome. U.S. LawShield, LLC is underwritten by Fortegra Companies in many states where the entities conduct business as the policy administrator for an insurance company. Fortegra Companies are rated A- (Excellent) for financial strength and operating performance by A.M. Best. In these states, all of our products are underwritten by one of the following Fortegra companies, depending on the state: Lyndon Southern Insurance Company, Response Indemnity Company of California, Blue Ridge Indemnity Company and Insurance Company of the South. 100% of the insurance administration, technology, and customer service is provided here, in the USA. To view the terms applicable to your state, please visit: uslawshield.com/member-sign-up.

COOL TROPHIES OF NASCAR

NASCAR drivers live for cool trophies. Their goal is quite simple: To fill their homes and race shops with these beautiful prizes, showing their life’s dedication to auto racing is worthwhile.

JOSEPH WOLKIN

Even if a NASCAR driver or team doesn’t win at Martins-

ville Speedway, they still want the trophy. As a result, Grand Home Furnishings often receives requests for replicas of the famed grandfather clocks that are awarded to those who conquer the half-mile track.

There is something special about the many traditions at historic Martinsville, whether it be hot dogs or the grandfather clock trophy, but most people don’t know the fascinating story of how one of those traditions was nearly lost to time.

Grand Home Furnishings, which sponsored the late John Andretti when he first entered NASCAR racing, became a Martinsville Speedway sponsor in the 1990s. Besides working with Andretti, Jeff Burton and Wood Brothers Racing, Grand Home Furnishings was active with the speedway.

“We started doing things with Martinsville in 1994 with bulk tickets and advertising,” said Steve Davis, Grand Home Furnishings’ former vice president of marketing. “In the mid-2000s, we got a call from Martinsville asking if we could help with their clock situation.”

The company stepped in and took control.

Martinsville needed help securing the Ridgeway Clocks after the local company was purchased by Howard Miller. The marketing director at Martinsville asked if Grand Home Furnishings could secure the clocks for the races, and it helped Martinsville continue the incredible tradition.

“There were quite a few NASCAR teams that wanted clocks even if they didn’t win them,” said Davis, who retired in 2017. “Perhaps, a driver won a clock in a race and he wanted to have another one for his second home, or for the team owner, crew chief and so on.”

Grand Home Furnishings’ store in Roanoke, Virginia, became the go-to place for grandfather clocks, and it still is to this day.

The tradition of presenting a Martinsville race winner with a grandfather clock will continue for years to come thanks to the relationship between Grand Home Furnishings and Martinsville Speedway.

• Grand Home Furnishings, a sponsor at Martinsville Speedway since 1994, is responsible for providing the grandfather clocks the track presents to its NASCAR race winners.

COOL TROPHIES OF NASCAR

HARDWARE FOR HEROES

Some trophies are small and some are large. Some are even sea creatures (we

see you, New Hampshire). But this group of hardware is the baddest and raddest in all of sports. NASCAR tracks take pride in the trophies they create, and rightfully so. But which is your favorite?

HARLEY J. EARL TROPHY

CHARLOTTE ROVAL TROPHY

The winner of the Daytona 500 receives

this astonishing hardware. It’s named after the famed General Motors designer and executive who introduced the idea for the Corvette and became a NASCAR commissioner. The Firebird I is the centerpiece of this artwork. The replica trophy given to the winner weighs 54 pounds and, fortunately, no Daytona 500 winner has dropped it.

When the Charlotte Motor Speedway

ROVAL was added to the NASCAR schedule, no one knew what to expect about the on-track action. The trophy was another plot twist. The three-foottall trophy, designed by Stephen Gould, is made of acrylic and metal. This hardware is wild, featuring a replica of the serpentine track, as well as the Charlotte crown to top it off.

MILES THE MONSTER TROPHY POCONO RACEWAY’S EAGLE TROPHY SONOMA RACEWAY’S WINE TROPHY

IMAGINE TAKING HOME A

mini concrete monster. Miles the Monster seems cut from the same angular genetic branch as The Thing and The Hulk. Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, but Miles is awesome. He’s been around since 2000, and his red eyes are just as intimidating as the concrete oval itself.

AH, THE BALD EAGLE. THIS

iconic bird is classic America, and Pocono Raceway is as powerful as it gets. The trophy fits well with Pocono’s strength as a unique track, just like the Eagle itself. The trophy is intimidating, and you need to be strong on the track to take it home.

CALIFORNIA’S WINE

Country is breathtaking. It’s relaxing and simply beautiful, especially in the Sonoma Valley, where Sonoma Raceway is located. This road course’s trophy pays homage to Wine Country, boasting a bottle of wine with a fresh glass, too.

TICK TOCK

THE FIRST grandfather clock awarded to a NASCAR winner at Martinsville Speedway was a seven-foot-tall version built by Ridgeway Clocks. Fred Lorenzen picked up the win in April 1964 and became the first driver who had to figure out how to get this beautiful clock home. The unique tradition continues to this day for any driver who wins at Martinsville in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions. Seriously, though, good luck getting it home.

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY’S COWBOY BOOT TROPHY

HOWDY, Y’ALL.

Everything that Texas Motor Speedway does is second to none. That includes the shotguns in Victory Lane, as well as the 1.5-mile track’s trophy. It’s a slick looking cowboy boot, but you can’t put a foot in it.