Throwback Thursday – Tony Stewart’s Iconic 2011 Title Run Revisited as Former NASCAR Veteran Relives the “Incredible” Feat.

Tony “Smoke” Stewart is one of those rare individuals who would do basically anything to win a championship. Before his final title reign in 2011, Stewart said, “I’d wreck my mom to win a championship,” revealing his obsession to win. Despite the earlier setbacks in the regular season, Tony Stewart looked like he was on a mission, racking up wins one after another until he reached the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

All that was remaining was one race, and one man stood between Stewart and his title ambitions. Carl Edwards was at the top of his game, coming off of a massive momentum in the regular season streak to be the championship favorite, someone who got the nods from experts and pundits alike to win the title.

On the other side was Stewart, who was actually written off after a dismal regular-season performance, going with 0 wins out of the 26 races and barely making it into the playoffs. What happened has sort of become folklore in NASCAR as “Smoke” lived up to his nickname, winning the championship finale and beating Edwards psychologically before he outgunned the JGR driver to win his third title.

Tony Stewart shatters all expectations, beating Edwards in the title chase to win his 3rd and final title

Even though the veteran made it into NASCAR’s halls of glory with his 2 title reigns, it was his 2011 championship run that got him on the pedestal. The championship finale had multiple storylines that would captivate any racing fan. Up until the playoff opener, no one in the community gave the then-driver/co-owner a shot at the title owing to his awful regular-season run.

But once the action reached the playoff stage, Stewart looked like he was possessed. Fueled by the rage and the obsession to win, “Smoke” went from 0/26 to 5/10 in the playoff rounds to blast his way into the championship conversation. The #14 Chevy driver started his chase, acing the race in Chicagoland before winning the next race in Loudan to send off a resounding message.

The man kept his foot on the gas until he was tied up with the then-points leader, Carl Edwards. Only one race remained in the fray—the championship finale at Homestead Miami. By this time, Stewart had garnered a reputation unlike any other, one that could essentially rival Edward in what looked like his championship year.

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Defying all odds, Stewart did what he intended to do—win the championship. Though the win riled up some controversy, the final tiebreaker gave Stewart the championship as he edged out Edwards with four wins up on the JGR driver, denying him a title as he won his third and final.

Dale Jarrett relives Stewart’s “incredible” championship chase

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Much like his playoff performances, the #14 Chevy Impala with Stewart in the driver’s seat looked unstoppable as he went ball to the wall in an epic title run. Some say that Edwards lost the race before the race even started. Stewart’s trash talk before the race during the official presser crept into the #99 JGR driver, and that got him thinking.

On the other hand, Stewart went guns blazing, passing car after car and going 4 wide in an aggressive ploy as he chased down the race leader, Edwards.

Revisiting the iconic chase, NASCAR veteran Dale Jarrett said, “Covering the race was incredible, I mean all of the sidelines from it and seeing the flow of the race and Carl(Edwards) looked like he had it all in hand but you know we hadn’t expected Tony Stewart to win 4 races up to that point either and even be a factor in this championship.” 

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That day in Miami, NASCAR nation witnessed Stewart’s greatness as a driver, while Edwards went on to retire from the sport without a title.