Tony “Smoke” Stewart Confesses Being Left in a Pickle With NHRA Fans Due to His Heroic Nickname

Being the only driver in history to have both NASCAR and IndyCar titles to his name, Tony Stewart has had a pretty wild racing career. And now, with him dipping his toes into the NHRA Top Fuel world, we all are looking forward to another great chapter of his journey. But his nickname, ‘Smoke’, which is well-loved by the NASCAR community, is something that’s just funny to NHRA fans.

In one of his latest YouTube vlogs entitled, “Experience My Top Fuel Debut – Part One,” we see a fan approached the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner to remind him, “You need to change your nickname…”

And even before the fan could finish his thought, Tony said, “I know it’s not a good one for over here. If I had known twenty-some-odd years ago that this is where I was going to end up, I wouldn’t have let it stick.”

To put it briefly, in the NHRA, the term ‘Smoked the Tires’ means to lose the traction of the dragster or turn loose. This can prove detrimental to a racer’s ability to make a solid run in less than 4 odd seconds. And this was pointed out to the ‘Smoke’ by a fan.

Interestingly, Stewart got his nickname when he was racing sprint cars in the early stages of his career. At the time, as an amateur racer, Stewart wasn’t very good with the throttle and blew the smoke off the tires, and thus, he got himself the nickname ‘Smoke’. But running in his first NHRA Top Fuel season, replacing his wife Leah Pruett, the nickname does not fare well given his stature as a successful race car driver.

Speaking of Stewart’s new venture, the NHRA Top Fuel series, he did have a good outing in his first-ever competitive race. This is especially the case considering how little time he had to prepare for the big switch from alcohol class to Top Fuel.

Stewart had a bittersweet first outing at NHRA Top Fuel

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart embarked on yet another racing adventure with his debut run in the NHRA Top Fuel’s first event of the season. The 52-year-old driver found himself struggling during the early passes he made in the qualifying stages. But as he headed to the main event, he was focused and up for the challenge against Justin Ashley.

To look at the positive, Stewart was lightning quick in his dash off the line with his dragster at .021 in comparison to Ashley’s .031 seconds. Both drivers had to steer and adjust their dragsters back in line after the quick start. But, unfortunately for Stewart, Ashley managed to cross the finish line first and bag his first win of the season.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad start for Stewart, considering that it was just his first attempt to compete against seasoned drag race car drivers. After a good start to his Top Fuel season at Gatornationals, Stewart will be heading to Winternationals in his next race of the NHRA season on March 24.

Read More: “I Just Start Laughing”: Tony Stewart’s Veteran Rookie Status in NHRA Hasn’t Tilted His Focus at All