Tony Stewart Believes NASCAR’s ‘Shooting Themselves in the Foot’ Blunder Is Forcing Dangerous Selfishness on Track

NASCAR has seen its fair share of changes over the years. SHR owner Tony Stewart, a legendary figure in the sport, isn’t shy about sharing his thoughts on the current state of affairs. As the dynamics of the Cup Series have evolved, the days of waving a competitor by or patiently waiting for an opportunity seem to be fading away.

Tony Stewart recently had a conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, where he expressed his belief that the NASCAR industry has no one but itself to blame for forcing dangerous selfishness on the track. Stewart raises essential points about the increased aggressiveness and what it means for the sport as a whole.

Tony Stewart shares his thoughts on increased on-track aggression

Drawing from his extensive experience in the Cup Series, Tony Stewart highlighted how circumstances have shifted since the earlier days of racing. In the past, drivers could wear out their tires, creating opportunities for strategic moves and shakeups on the track. However, the development of high-performance tires and tightly regulated rules have led to more homogeneity among the cars. As a result, drivers find themselves in intense battles where overtaking has become a considerable challenge.

Here’s what he said in his conversation with SiriusXM. “You know when I started back in 1999 in the cup series. Just about every racetrack you went to, you could burn the tires off the car. You absolutely could wear the tire down. You could wear the car out. And if you didn’t plan and take care of your tires, you could be half a lap or a lap down in one stint.”

He then spoke about the present-day NASCAR situation. “Nowadays we’re in this era where the tires are so good and don’t fall off and the performance doesn’t fall off. So you can run 100% every lap and not hurt your race car. That along with how close the rules package is with NASCAR now everybody’s got the same stuff and everybody’s super close.”

“NASCAR has done the best to try and tighten the field as much as they can, but with that, it makes it extremely hard to pass and overtake people when everybody’s running the same speed. So with that, it puts drivers in more dire situations that when they go to make a move, it’s a much larger move and when it goes wrong it goes way wrong now,” he concluded.

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Stewart argues that NASCAR, in its efforts to tighten competition, inadvertently created situations where daring moves became a necessity for success. And the drivers seem to share the same view.

What was the drivers’ opinion on the rise in on-track aggression in the past?

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NASCAR Cup Series drivers themselves have acknowledged the changes in racing dynamics. According to Denny Hamlin, younger drivers, in particular, exhibit more aggressive behavior because the consequences of their actions are different than in the past. With crew members protecting their drivers and a corporate culture shaping the sport, the risk-reward equation has shifted. Additionally, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have also weighed in on the heightened aggression.

Here’s what the drivers’ had to say even a couple of years ago in a conversation with NASCAR.com.

“If you drove like this 10 years ago. You’d have had a fist in your mouth,” said Kevin Harvick. “What changed were the rules, and when every spot becomes that much more difficult to achieve, you have to defend the spots that you have because you know that you might not get it back.”

Ryan Blaney commented on the cars being more draggy. “Yeah, it feels like restarts are the craziest they’ve been ever since I’ve been in the Cup Series, just because the cars are so draggy. That’s the easiest spot to kind of make a move, and you can just drive these cars so hard, it’s just about driving harder than someone else a lot of the time.”

“I think every sport changes, and I feel like now you’ve got a bunch of us that feel like we’re racing for our job every lap, so we go out and put it all on the line,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr commented.

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What are your thoughts on the changing dynamics of NASCAR racing? Share your insights in the comments below!