Tony Stewart Discloses Cars He’s Scared to Race After Breaking Back 4 Times

There’s only a handful of drivers in the history of NASCAR that have been a household name in America. Tony Stewart, widely known as “Smoke,” is without a doubt one of those drivers. He is an icon in the world of motorsport, leaving an indelible mark on NASCAR and IndyCar racing. With an impressive resume that includes three NASCAR Cup Series championships. Tony Stewart’s illustrious career has earned him a place in the hearts of not just NASCAR fans, but all the motorsport fans.

Although he officially retired from NASCAR in 2016. “Smoke” continues to embrace his passion for racing in various forms while also managing his team, Stewart-Haas Racing. In a recent interview on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ Stewart candidly revealed the cars that give him pause due to his history of breaking his back not once but four times.

Tony Stewart’s Reluctance to Race Certain Cars

During an interesting conversation on the show, Tony Stewart shared his experiences and reflected on his racing career. When asked if there were any vehicles he hadn’t raced yet, Stewart’s response offered intriguing insights into his mindset. He recounted a recent experience driving a funny car at IRP, highlighting that the list of cars he hasn’t driven is surprisingly short. However, Stewart mentioned two types of vehicles that make him apprehensive. First, the world Figure 8 championships, held in the Southeast corner of Indianapolis. And second, the swamp buggies in Florida stand out as the cars he’s reluctant to race.

During the conversation, AJ asked Tony. “Tony, I’m curious if there’s anything you haven’t raced yet. Any kind of vehicle, a boat maybe? the Red Bull air racing situation that you haven’t got into that you might in the future?”

“It’s funny you bring that up,” Tony replied. “Because I got a chance to drive the funny car at IRP here about a month ago or a month and a half ago. And we were trying to figure out what cars have I driven. Then we got frustrated and said it’s going to be a lot easier just to try to find the list of cars I haven’t yet, and it’s not been very much.”

“I mean, the Southeast corner of Indianapolis has the speed room they do the world figure eight championships there,” he continued. “And I’ve hurt my back four times already, and I am like, eh, let’s skip that one. And uh, swamp buggies in Florida, that’s the other division we haven’t run yet.”

This prompted Pat to ask, “So what are you waiting on? What’s the deal?”

“I don’t know, I don’t want to get upside down on a car and get stuck in and I can’t breathe, so yeah, I’m choking with water, that thing’s not a good deal,” Tony replied.

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In addition to discussing his own experiences, Tony Stewart reflected on the profound impact of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s death on safety in motorsport as a whole.

Tony Stewart Reflects on Dale Earnhardt Sr’s Impact on Racing Safety

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The tragic incident of 2001 when America lost ‘The Intimidator’ not only shook the NASCAR world but also spurred greater safety measures across various racing series.  Tony acknowledged that prior to Earnhardt’s accident, safety efforts were in place. But the tragedy galvanized the entire racing community to focus on preventing such incidents from recurring.

Tony opened up on the safety standards in NASCAR back in the day. Then compared it to how far we have come since then. “Well, they [NASCAR safety personnel] did as much as they knew, they could do at the time. But then after Dale Senior’s accident, everybody really put a lot of focus on making sure how do we keep this from happening again.”

“I mean you still have big injuries,” he continued. “Still have guys getting paralyzed. You have guys that have brain trauma. But the amount of opportunities and the amount of times that that happens keeps getting smaller and smaller. And the sport keeps getting safer and safer. And it’s across the board. It’s not just NASCAR, not just IndyCar, sprint cars, and NHRA drag racing. Everybody put a full-court press on how do they take the cars in their series and find a way to make it safer to keep these drivers from being hurt.”

Stewart’s reflections on Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s impact on racing safety serve as a reminder of how the racing community has collectively prioritized the well-being of its drivers over the years. As fans and enthusiasts, let’s continue to appreciate the dedication to safety that drives the evolution of motorsports.

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