Tony Stewart Distances Himself From Jeff Gordon’s HMS Narrative as He Unravels the Secret to NASCAR Stardom

The recently concluded Racers Forum has left the NASCAR community divided. Former Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon graced the racing conclave and put the need for interaction between teams and the fanbase in the spotlight. However, Gordon’s previous comments about Denny Hamlin being more involved in incidents off the track have left a bad taste. One superstar away from all this controversy is 3-time Cup champion Tony Stewart.

Being a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, Tony has gathered enough experience as a team owner and understands how to run a team and its drivers. While the team has not been on the more successful side of history in recent years, #14 driver Chase Briscoe has highlighted one such aspect where Tony triumphs the rest of the owners in the Cup Series.

Chase Briscoe reveals the factor that makes SHR feel like home

The #14 Mustang driver has teamed up with some of the sport’s best-ever personalities. After being involved with Brad Keselowski Racing in the Truck Series in 2017, he has moved on to the tutelage of Tony and is a teammate of Kevin Harvick. The positive effect showed in his approach as he became NASCAR’s 200th Cup Series winner after a win at Phoenix last year.

Speaking on a Stewart-Haas Racing produced episode, Mentor and Mentee, Chase made sure to express his love for his team and the way it works. “One thing I love about driving at SHR is the fact that I feel like you can just be your own personality.” claimed the 28-year-old. Gordon’s comments about his drivers focusing on the racing aspect might be true, except that drivers should be allowed to express themselves and feel comfortable as a part of the team.

Continuing his statement, Briscoe then posed a question for team owner Tony Stewart, asking,

“You won’t have to fit this certain type of mould where I feel like other couple organizations. You got to look one way, you got to act one way. Here you can just like be yourself. So I guess for me, now it’s my third year in the Cup Series. I feel like I’ve slowly been learning to kind of show my personality more, but what tips would you have as far as like just really embracing your personality?”

Drivers have often felt shy about expressing their opinions and heartfelt thoughts on something that could stir up a deep controversy and land them in troubled waters. Be it about racing in NASCAR or something off it, many drivers have not felt the need to be themselves.

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Tony Stewart feels there are times when one has to speak for himself

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Tony Stewart has been a proponent of straight-faced and brutal honesty since his younger days. The Indiana native has always spoken his mind and would even resemble ‘Rowdy’ Kyle Busch in some ways. Answering Briscoe’s question, Tony highlights the importance of connecting to the fans through personality. What the fans truly need is a driver they can resonate their feelings with as he races to win on the track.

“I think you got to remember who your audience is,” stated Tony. “They’re blue-collar people that love to see our personalities, our attitude, our raw emotions. Now, you can’t just go rogue and just go off tilt, but there’s times when it’s time to be politically correct, and there’s times when you can voice your opinion if you say it the right way.”

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Refuting Gordon’s words, Tony then added the reason why fans choose to support drivers and not teams despite NASCAR essentially being a team sport. Charlotte Roval winner AJ Allmendinger also highlighted how his team allowing him to be himself was important for his integration into Kaulig Racing and thanked Matt Kaulig and president Chris Rice for it.

Tony’s message was loud and clear. Advising Briscoe, he said, “Stand behind your words. I mean stand behind your feelings, stand behind your words. People and fans embrace that. They love hearing true emotion and true passion.”

It is always good to see someone as authentic and experienced as Tony Stewart deliver some unwritten rules to being a better member of the NASCAR community.