By now, we have all heard of what a legend Tony Stewart was in the NASCAR scene, having 4 Cup Series titles. Like that was not enough, Stewart decided to start his own team, along with Gene Haas, to continue his legacy. However, since then, the situations have changed and Stewart and Haas have decided to go their separate ways.

While Gene Haas decided to continue running a reduced number of charters in NASCAR, Stewart moved on to drag racing. It is quite a jump to transition from long-form racing to something that ends in a matter of seconds, as that is exactly what Stewart discussed with Pat McAfee in a recent interview.

Tony Stewart breaks down his transition to the NHRA

During a recent interview at The Pat McAfee Show, Tony Stewart was called in as the guest. Here is where the two discussed NASCAR and drag racing. Speaking of how versatile Tony Stewart is with the kind of vehicles he races, McAfee stated, “We’ve seen you race NASCAR, IndyCar, and Dirt Car; now you are racing top fuel cars. At this point, how much fun is this particular style of racing compared to maybe long-term track racing?”

Explaining just how far apart drag racing is from stock car racing, Stewart answered, “Yeah, this is the polar opposite of what I did in NASCAR. I was in the car for three and a half hours, and now the run lasts three and a half seconds.” It might not feel much to race a car in a straight line; however, the 4x Cup Series winner explained how every split of a second matters.

Comparing the NHRA to NASCAR, Stewart continued, “We’re talking everything is to the thousandth of a second—not tenths of a second, hundredths of a second, but thousandths of a second. That’s what makes the difference in these cars.” Obviously curious after hearing this, McAfee asked him if the get-off was a big deal. Giving the main key point that matters while drag racing, the driver continued, “The reaction time is the most important part of this entire thing.”

Responding to McAfee’s curiosity, Stewart described the situation once he got into a drag car. He explained how after the pre-stage and stage, there are 3 amber lights that show up beside the drivers. When that happens, he told McAfee, “As soon as the driver sees those lights, they hit the gas, and off you go.”

How is drag racing different from NASCAR, according to Tony Stewart?

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Knowing that drag races are usually done in a straight line, Pat McAfee asked Stewart how much driving he does in such a car. It’s obvious that the steering needs to remain straight so the cars reach the finish line. However, when Stewart replied, “Hopefully not a lot,” the conversation got interesting. From what we see so far, the cars need to go as fast as they can in a straight line, so what does he mean when he says, “not a lot?”

Stewart revealed the reality, saying that despite the tracks being straight, further emphasizing “dead straight every time,” he explains how the car never goes that way. The torque in those cars is high enough to make them unstable at launch, leaving it up to the drivers to maintain the direction it’s heading in.

Although the main job of a driver is to keep the car straight while being sure the right launch and gear changes are made, Stewart reveals how there is more to the sport than just a 3-4 second stretch before the checkered flag.