This Sunday Is Tony Stewarts Last Ever NASCAR Race

One of the most storied driving careers in the modern era of motorsports will come to a close Sunday when Tony Stewart will suit up and take the last ride of his NASCAR career. Stewart, who has competed stock car racing’s premier series since winning the 1999 Rookie of the Year, is hanging up his helmet and focusing his time and energy on his Stewart-Haas Racing team and the racetracks he owns and co-owns.

During his NASCAR career, “Smoke” racked up a total of 49 race wins and three series championships, placing him 13th on the all-time wins list for races and eighth in series championships. Stewart won over a great many fans early in his career when he battled toe-to-toe with Dale Earnhardt during the Gatorade Twin 125’s during his first Daytona 500 weekend. Throughout the rest of his rookie campaign, Stewart continued to impress fans, tallying three wins on the season and finishing fourth in the points race. Stewart also pulled off one of the most impressive feats in all of motorsports his rookie year by finishing 9th in the Indy 500 and 4th in the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, all in the same day. Tony Stewart also won an Indycar championship behind the wheel, and is the only driver to ever win USAC’s Triple-Crown by winning all three of the sanction’s major divisions in 1995.

Throughout his stock car career, Stewart garnered legions of fans, some for his superb driving skills and some because of his no-BS approach to speaking his mind. His driving style – compared by many to AJ Foyt and Earnhardt himself – may have earned him a huge fan following, but occasionally led to on- and off-track altercations with other drivers and NASCAR officials. However, Stewart’s downside pales in comparison to his many contributions through his Tony Stewart Foundations, which continually donates to funds and charities that assist chronically ill children, injured drivers, and other philanthropic efforts. While he’s closing the book on his driving career, Stewart will certainly still be very active in the motorsports world.

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