Tony Stewart Claims Turning Down Rick Hendrick in His 20s Brought Insane Hype Around Kyle Larson’s Signature Scheme

Tony Stewart has been a real wizard behind the wheel, proving over and over again that he can handle just about any kind of car. It’s no wonder he’s always near the racetrack. However, it is a shocker to know that when he had just dipped his toes into the world of racing, specifically in IndyCar, midget racing, and NASCAR, he was at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take.

Interestingly, Stewart revealed that he once turned down an opportunity to drive for NASCAR’s most winningest team. But as fate would have it, in 2009, he did end up racing in the Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity series. That move turned out to be quite impactful, as Stewart’s paint scheme became so iconic that Kyle Larson went on to adopt it for his own car he drives today.

Tony Stewart’s legacy and the hype around No. 17.

Tony Stewart recently made an appearance on the MotorTrend Channel, chatting with hosts Brian Lohnes & David Freiburger about the crossroads he faced early in his career. He recalled being torn between IndyCar, the Busch Series, and a tempting offer from Hendrick Motorsports in 1996. He quipped, “I was driving for Harry Rainer in the Busch Series at the time, I was driving for Team Menard on the IndyCar side in the IRL, and then a cup team that tries to hire you. […] who turns down a ride at Hendrick Motorsports?” Listening to this, the host replied, “On yeah, there hasn’t been very many 20-year-old kids [who have turned down HMS].”

Fast forward to 2009, Stewart finally joined forces with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 80 in the Xfinity Series, for one race at Daytona International Speedway, where he won. Because of the initial turndown, this appearance of Stewart for HMS became a lot more anticipated, and it eventually led to the rise of one of the most celebrated paint schemes in the sport today.

In Stewart’s words, “And that’s why if you think about later in my career in NASCAR, I ran the hendrikcars.com car at the Xfinity race at Daytona the day before the 500 we won and Rick told me ‘it shut our servers down’. It got so much attention and that’s why you see it on Kyle Larson’s car now it was so successful.”

That race turned out to be the last time Hendrick Motorsports ventured into the lower-tier Xfinity race for a while. Then, in 2022, HMS announced a comeback and fielded the No. 17 in four Xfinity races.

WATCH THIS STORY: Tony Stewart’s unyielding spirit: A NASCAR legend’s rebuttal

Tony Stewart tends to hold Kyle Larson in high regard, who in a way ended up being his successor at HMS. However, very few people know that the Smoke once eyed Larson for his team.

Tony Stewart confessed his feelings about wanting to poach Larson for his team

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Back in 2021, when Kyle Larson grabbed the Cup Championship, Tony Stewart didn’t hesitate to say he wished Larson was on his team. Chatting with CBS Sports, Stewart said, “That will be one of the biggest regrets of my professional career is not getting that kid [Kyle Larson] and having an opportunity to race him in our cars. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime driver. I say he’s a unicorn.”

Well, who can blame Stewart? And with the current situation at Stewart Haas Racing, maybe someone like Kyle Larson could have saved them from a season like 2023, where the team consisting of 4 full-time drivers failed to register a single win.

READ MORE: Tony Stewart Graces Mecum Auctions Amidst Historic Sale of $16.25 Million Worth Ferrari 250 GT