NASCAR legend Tony Stewart has put his lavish 415-acre Hidden Hollow Ranch in Columbus, Indiana, on sale. This is not a new listing; rather, Smoke had initially put out this lavish property on sale two years ago. With a price tag of $30 million, the ranch became one of the most expensive properties to be on the market in the state’s history.

Well, there’s no shortage of amenities inside Stewart’s rustic mansion. The Hidden Hallow Ranch has a rustic and natural theme that features a two-story waterfall and flowing stream at its entrance. The house also comes with a gaming arena, a golf simulator, and an Onyx bar.

That’s not it; the biggest room inside the property features an 8,700-gallon freshwater aquarium and also has a 9-acre lake. This property is unique given its close ties to the forest ecosystem; animals like turkey, deer, and elk can be spotted. And yes, the property is licensed for hunting. But, despite the appeal and luxurious feel, the buyers weren’t willing to shell out $30 million to claim ownership of this property. This has forced Stewart to put out a more discounted price of of $22.5 million in a bid to attract buyers for his ranch.

Carrie Holle, an agent from Compass, revealed the reason behind the discounted rate at which the Hidden Hallow Ranch is now listed. “We strive to ensure that our pricing remains competitive and in line with current market trends, ultimately offering the best value to potential buyers. This adjustment allows us to present the property at a price that accurately reflects its worth in today’s market, providing a fair and attractive opportunity for interested parties.” But apart from what industry insiders say, is there any other reason why the NASCAR veteran is gathering all he can for now?

Well, if you listen to sources, Stewart might be struggling when it comes to funding his businesses. He’s now fully committed to his racing career at NHRA Top Fuel, and as we all know, running a race team requires a lot of financial backing. And going by Stewart’s latest admission while speaking at Race Industry Week, “Not everybody is a Conard Kalitta and has an air service. You know the Torrance family has Capco. They do great business in Texas. But for me, I’m a professional race car driver that retired from NASCAR, right? I don’t have that income coming in. So anything I’m spending out of my pocket is literally coming out of retirement that I have to live with the rest of my life.”

For the unversed, just like the stock racing giant, the NHRA is also dominated by powerhouse racing organizations. On one hand, there’s Dough Kalitta, a six-time runner-up and 2023 Top Fuel Champion, who races for Kalitta Motorsports—a team owned by his uncle Connie Kalitta—and is backed by his airline company, Kalitta Charters. Then there’s Steve Torrence (the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 NHRA Top Fuel World Champion) and his son Billy, who have the backing of their company, CAPCO Contractors. Pretty similat to NASCAR’s with Rick Hendrick supporting his team with HendrickCars.com and Roger Penske doing the same with Penske Entertainment, isn’t it?

Diving into his problems further, the former Stewart-Haas Racing team owner said, “It has to make sense financially to run these cars, and we struggled for the first two seasons as a team owner. We never did even come close to breaking even for this season, but at the end of this season our books look a lot better, and I think we’re finally going to be in a situation where hopefully we can at least break even for the season financially.”

While we’re not entirely sure that his property sale is directly related to his NHRA financials, that $22.5 million sure looks lucrative and useful.

But the good news is the hurdles aren’t going to dampen Stewart’s spirit (Meaning: We probably aren’t going to see an SHR repeat anytime soon). How are we so sure? Well, the NASCAR icon himself revealed some positive plans for 2025—and he’s also got his dad involved!

The future is looking bright

As Leah Pruett seems to have taken up motherhood duties for the time-being, Stewart’s stint in the Top Fuel dragster just got extended. The 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year announced that he’ll be back in the tourney in 2025.

“I’m going to be back in the Top Fuel car again next year. Leah has decided she wants to be a mom this first year. And I’ll be honest – she is literally just over two weeks from having Dominic, and I am pretty confident in about two to three weeks she would be ready to get back into a Top Fuel car. She absolutely looks amazing. Looking at her, you wouldn’t even tell that she just delivered a little boy to us. So it’s just amazing how strong and tough my wife is and what she does. But she does want to be a mom next year, and I’m kind of fighting it a little bit, but I guess the bonus to it is I get to drive a Top Fuel car again next year. So either way I get to win,” Stewart told Joe Castello in a Race Industry Week interview.

Even his father, 86-year-old Nelson Stewart, is thinking of dipping his toes in the same water with a debut at sportsman-level Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series next year. But don’t underestimate the old man—he is a veteran legends car racer and notably took the checkered flag in the Outlaw Legends race at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair in June 2023.

“I don’t know that 100%, but I can confirm that he has talked to a lot of people,” talking about four-time and reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown and sportsman power couple Bo and Randi Lyn Butner. “If he wants to race, by God, we’re not going to tell him he can’t race…I think Antron [Brown] has almost adopted him.”

“He has a lot of interest in it. He’s not the smartest guy. He’s 86 years old. I mean, now we’re turning into the parents all of a sudden. But I will say that Leah and I sat him down at Vegas. We talked to him, but we told him we knew he was talking to people. And it’s the same conversation my sister and I have had. He still races—Legends cars, three-quarter midgets. He’s at the age [that] he’s made it this far and he’s healthy. He takes great care of himself.”

“I definitely believe that you’ll see him in something at some point. We just don’t know what it is. It’s not going to be my car with my team, I can tell you that. It’s going to be on somebody else’s dime, but I think Antron has almost adopted him. So I told him, ‘As long as I get a couple things that I want when he passes on and moves on to the next life, he can adopt him. But he gets all the bills that come with him, too.”

Having said that, with more brands attracted to NHRA racing and a new TV deal being worked out behind the scenes, he certainly would be in a better place if the sale of $22.5 million worth of property in Indiana goes through. This would give him some breathing space and allow him to focus on his racing as a full-time driver for the 2025 season.