Ex-SHR Driver Exposes Tony Stewart’s Real Personality Behind ‘Hothead’ Image

Tony Stewart has acquired quite the bad-boy reputation in NASCAR over the years. Smoke’s on-track aggression and off-track confrontations have fueled this image. Contrary to this popular belief, people who worked with him offered a different perspective on this image.

Recently, on a podcast, the ex-SHR driver Chase Briscoe had a few things to say about Tony Stewart. Briscoe shared his perspective about Stewart’s hothead reputation.

The real Tony Stewart, according to Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart and Chase Briscoe share a relationship that extends beyond the track. Briscoe, similar to Smoke, is a driver from Indiana. From dirt racing to NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, Chase has an extensive career. He caught Tony’s attention, and in 2021, Briscoe replaced Clint Bowyer and moved to the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase mentions Tony as his childhood hero and feels honored to drive the same No. 14 car that Tony drove. He emphasized, “Getting to drive Tony’s car, and how much of a die-hard Tony fan I was, it’s just crazy that I’m getting to drive that car.” 

In a recent episode of Dinner with Racers, Briscoe spoke about his former boss. He said, “Tony gets a bad rep…like this hothead…People don’t realize, like, the softy that he really is, like how much he does behind the scenes for people… stuff like that. He’s always really cool about sentimental stuff for sure.” Briscoe’s comment sheds light on Smoke’s kind personality. Tony might have a bad reputation but Chase Briscoe, as someone who has closely worked with Stewart, thinks otherwise. He describes him as the “softy”, working closely; one can see many aspects to a person that are normally hidden to the eyes.

Smoke does seem to commit to helping drivers beyond his role as a team owner. For instance, Noah Gragson was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR and released from Legacy Motor Club, but this changed in 2024. Stewart Haas Racing offered him a seat in the No. 10 Ford for the 2024 season. Gragson expresses his gratitude for Smoke and SHR. He said, “I’m very grateful for Tony and Greg Zipadelli and everybody who has given me this opportunity over at Stewart-Haas.”.

Stewart also has a good reputation for his off-track endeavors. He founded the Tony Stewart Foundation, which supports various causes, including injured race drivers, helping children, and animal welfare. Smoke remarked, “The Tony Stewart Foundation will continue to provide the vehicle for me to give back to others needing a helping hand.”

Despite all this, Tony got this reputation as a hothead and his on-track confrontations played a major part in this. There are many instances; for one, many remember the helmet throw by Tony at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2012. Matt Kenseth ran Smoke off the track, fired back up, and got going, while Tony came off worse from it. Stewart lost his cool and threw his helmet after Kenseth’s car rolled up. The helmet landed on the hood of the car; this delighted fans as well, and he responded to the fans with a salute. Tony has many such instances on and off track, adding to his hothead reputation.

Recently, even Tony Stewart explained the reasons behind his hot-head personality.

Tony Stewart reveals details behind 2019 incident over barbeque

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Just a little while ago, Tony Stewart appeared on the YouTube channel for Old Town BBQ. While enjoying old-school Texas barbeque, he spoke about participating in a sprint car event in Jackson, Minnesota, where Stewart had a very poor outing. However, it was not Smoke’s fault at all. On the first lap, he was out of the race due to an engine failure. However, some fans didn’t think so.

When Stewart went to talk to fans and sign autographs, one of them heckled him. It even escalated into a physical confrontation. Recalling the incident, explained, “He definitely won’t come out of the stands there again,” referring to his aggressor.

At the same time, there’s also a softer side to Stewart. He’s recently embraced fatherhood with the birth of Dominic Stewart. Perhaps this change fans will see now that Stewart is a dad.