In the world of sports, fans often have strong opinions about their favorite athletes. Sometimes, those opinions can be divided, as was the case with a recent incident involving Tony Stewart. The 3x Cup Series champion recently expressed his passion for dirt racing and his comment sparked controversy among fans and raised questions about the future of the sport.
As the owner of the Eldora Speedway, Stewart is famous for his love of dirt tracks and was the driving force behind “Prelude to the Dream,” a dirt late-model race hosted at Eldora Speedway between 2005 and 2012. However, he found himself in hot waters recently when his views on dirt racing were outlined in a tweet posted by NASCAR on NBC.
Fans react as Tony Stewart goes overboard while expressing love for dirt racing
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The tweet, which contained a video featuring the race at Bristol Motor Speedway that took place this weekend, was captioned “If you don’t like this type of racing, you don’t like racing.” – @TonyStewart
“If you don’t like this type of racing, you don’t like racing.” – @TonyStewart pic.twitter.com/3AAzhoRNAy
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 10, 2023
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner’s comments were met with mixed responses from fans. Some applauded his passion and dedication to dirt track racing, while a few did not hesitate to criticize him for being out of touch with the realities of the industry.
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A fan wrote, “Sorry Tony I disagree I want the concrete Bristol back.”
Taking a dig at Stewart’s remark, someone commented, ‘Then I guess I don’t like racing anymore. Don’t care for Cup cars on a man-made dirt track. Want Bristol back. Thanks,” and another echoed their sentiment.
Than I don’t like racing
— frank morales (@budgetgamer68) April 10, 2023
Several other fans pointed toward the empty stands and expressed their disagreement. Someone said, “Looking at all the empty seats the fans aren’t into dirt racing, may be fun for the drivers just another boring race for fans but on dirt,” while others had the following to say.
All them empty seats says it all
— Richard Grieco (@JoeGrizzley2) April 10, 2023
The thousands of empty seats say differently. Some of us remember going there when it was a sellout.
— Blaine Campbell (@blaine924) April 10, 2023
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By the looks of the stands, the people of the Bristol area do not like this type of racing.
— Chris Shannon (@stump43) April 10, 2023
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Despite the criticism, it’s hard to fault Stewart for his passion for dirt track racing. A lifelong fan of the sport, Stewart has always been vocal about his love for racing on dirt and has played an instrumental role in bringing the discipline to a wider audience. As the sport continues to evolve, it will be crucial to listen to the opinions and concerns of fans and stakeholders, to ensure that the sport remains relevant for years to come.