It would be very difficult to find someone like Tony Stewart. And no, not because of how great, celebrated, and talented he was and still is as a driver, but because of the number of endeavors he has in motorsports as an owner.
Think about it, Smoke owns or co-owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and NHRA. He also owns/co-owns the Camping World SRX Series and the All Star Circuit of Champions, while also being associated with FloRacing, Eldora Speedway, and more.
That’s a lot.
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But there has to be one of the aforementioned investments Stewart has, which is closer to his heart than the others, right?
Well, there is. And it’s not NASCAR.
Tony Stewart leaves out NASCAR as his favorite investment
In a recent appearance on a podcast show, Tony Stewart was asked about his favorite investment, to which he responded, “The best thing I ever did was marry my wife Leah (Pruett), that’s a no-brainer.”
But then the host asked again what his favorite investment is, from his involvement in all the different forms of racecar driving mentioned above.
“I would say Eldora and my NHRA teams,” Stewart said.
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He then went on a long description of things he loves and enjoys about the NHRA as a whole, and why, compared to NASCAR, it’s a more rewarding experience for the fans and businesses. Stewart claimed he absolutely loves the atmosphere at an NHRA race.
“It’s so different, where NASCAR, it was hard to get into the pit area for people and it was chaotic, it’s chaotic in a different way but the fans in NHRA races are unbelievable,” he said.
Stewart on why the NHRA is a better experience than NASCAR
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Stewart explained how fans in the NHRA are “respectful” of the time of the drivers and the team members.
“If you’re there working on the car, they’re standing 5 feet away, they’re not sitting there to get you to stop working on the car to come take a picture, they love watching the teams and drivers working on the car, they love being close to the action,” he described. “Super respectful.”
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner emphasized how he was “blown away” by how many people come to the pit area at an NHRA race. Stewart added that he loves the NHRA not just because he’s a part of it.
“I like how they do things, I like they take care of the race fans,” he claimed. “What we do with hospitality, at a NASCAR race you want people on hospitality for 3.5–4 hours watching the race.”
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Instead of that, Stewart said, the same people with 3.5 hours are in the pit area watching professionals work on their cars which, according to him, is not only a good experience for the fans but also for the business.
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“The great thing is our partners are able to come and do B2B business with each other which is really good for us,” he added.