It is more than impressive what Tony Stewart has achieved in his motorsports career. To have won championships both in IndyCar and NASCAR certainly requires plenty of character and skill. That said, the road to glory never comes easy. While fans have been in awe of Smoke and his achievements, it is surprising how many wrote Stewart off in the early days of his racing career.

The Indiana-born driver grew up racing go-karts and tasted success very early, winning the World Karting Association championship in 1987. While success came to Stewart from the onset, it continued during the different stages of his career. In fact, things could have turned out differently had it not been for his time in the Indy Racing League (IRL).

Tony Stewart goes down memory lane to relive challenges in his motorsports career

In his stellar motorsport career, Tony Stewart jumped to new heights at an amazing speed. While mastering the go-karts didn’t take much time, he moved to the United States Auto Club (USAC) series in 1991, courtesy of one of his karting sponsors, Mark Dismore. As with other competitions, Stewart excelled in the USAC, winning the USAC Rookie of the Year award in 1991 itself.

In 1995, Smoke created history by winning the Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown USAC series titles. Interestingly, this led to the perfect foundation for him to join the then-newly formed Indy Racing League (IRL). Given how IRL opened up a gateway to racing in the Indianapolis 500, it provided an interesting platform for many drivers, including Stewart.

As reported by ESPN, Tony Stewart remarked in 2009, “Winning those [USAC] championships, before they started talking about the IRL and what it was designed to do, it was still such a far stretch to even imagine being able to one day have an opportunity to drive at Indy.” Eventually, Stewart took the chance and raced in the IRL from 1996 to 1998.

In the process, he won three races, eight poles, and the 1997 series title in just 26 starts. Having said that, it didn’t go as smoothly as planned. A few days ago, Stewart gave an interview to Motorsport Magazine about his motorsport journey. When asked if his time in real life turned out to be a step up in his career, the 53-year-old didn’t hesitate once in agreeing to it. He said, “Yeah, and a drastic one at that.”

Stewart explained how his first race at Disneyworld in real life turned out to be a tricky affair. He said, “My first race, at Disneyworld in ’96, that was sketchy. All through practice it was smooth, went well, then all of a sudden on race day it was really hot. There was low grip, we were running a ’95 Lola with a turbocharged Buick V6, so managing the power was crucial and I’d never driven a turbo.”

The three-time Cup Series champion added, “When the pace was fast, the boost and the lag were minimal, but when we had to slow down, you’d get this big boost of power, and the car got really loose.” Stewart explained how not many expected him to shine then. He said, “People watching told me they thought I was going to crash on every lap, so I was lucky to get through and finish second. I enjoyed IRL. It gave me the chance to go to IndyCar at the right time in my career.”

Unsurprisingly, Stewart came out with flying colors despite being written off. While it opened the doors of NASCAR for him, IRL founder Tony George hoped Smoke’s time in IRL lasted longer.

Tony Stewart’s time in the Indy Racing League remains a breakthrough moment in his career

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It is difficult to predict what could have happened with Tony Stewart’s career had the Indy Racing League (IRL) not come into existence when it did. Unarguably, it remains one of the most underrated phases in the stellar career of the 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. Who knows, had Stewart stayed longer in the competition, he could have achieved plenty in the IndyCar arena. At least Tony George feels so.

The IRL founder remains one of the biggest fans of Tony Stewart, especially because of the magic he showed in his early days. As reported by ESPN in 2015, George said, “Clearly, he was a star from the very first race [in the IRL]. There was a lot of anticipation and expectation on his ability to perform, and I think he did that within reason with what wasn’t the most reliable equipment. He was certainly spectacular.”

George added how it could have been different had Stewart not left the competition. He said, “It would have been nice if that turned into an opportunity that would have kept him in Indy cars longer so we all could have had more to reflect on. He was good for the league, and it would have been nice to feel like he really could have accomplished his goals in racing by staying put.”

Unfortunately for George, Stewart kept trying his hand with a part-time role in the Xfinity and Truck Series between 1996 and 1998. However, things changed drastically when a full-time opportunity at Joe Gibbs Racing came ringing in. Tony Stewart wasted no time in capitalizing it, and the rest, as we say, is history. It is indeed interesting to think about what could have happened had JGR not approached Stewart back then. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.