There wasn’t a single race win for Tony Stewart during the 2024 season. In 20 races, he contested all of them. This is indeed a puzzler given his credentials as the most versatile racer in the country. As he made his way to the final round at Sonoma Nationals, he had a shot, an opportunity to write history. Antron Brown, however, defeated him.

He has won races in IndyCar, and dirt/sprint cars, and is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Now, with a winless 20 race streak, Stewart has one special win from his time in the NHRA. 

Tony Stewart looks back into his debut year and win

It’s no secret that 2024 was a disappointing campaign for Stewart in his rookie season. He couldn’t capitalize despite having the opportunity to redeem himself in Sonoma. But, if there was one race car driver Stewart wouldn’t mind losing against, it was Antron Brown.

In an MAVTV interview, Tony Stewart reflected on his tough season, sharing a rare highlight from an otherwise challenging year. “I think making our first final which was actually a 4-wide event at Vegas and that was pretty cool, you know, that’s where I started was at Las Vegas. And uh, then got my first win a year ago at Las Vegas in the spring at the 4-wide,” Stewart said. Stewart’s connection to Las Vegas runs deep. The 4-Wide Nationals format is known for its intensity, pitting four racers against each other simultaneously, adding pressure that only seasoned competitors usually handle well. Stewart also highlighted a surprising personal achievement from the season. “By the time we got to the US Nationals halfway through the season, we were tied with Tony Schumacher for fifth in the class for reaction time,” he explained.

Reaction time is critical in drag racing. To be ranked alongside an eight-time NHRA champion like Schumacher is no small feat. Schumacher averages a reaction time of less than 0.1 seconds in races. Apart from him, the drivers Tony Stewart mentioned—Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon, and Doug Kalitta—represent the pinnacle of NHRA competition making his fifth-place tie even more impressive given his rookie status. Reaction time success suggests Stewart’s growth behind the wheel, even if the overall results didn’t reflect his progress.

Stewart returned to TAD in 2023 with immediate success, running a five-race schedule in a familiar McPhillips Racing TAD entry. Stewart racked up three wins, one runner-up result, and one semifinal finish for team owner Richie McPhillips to secure the NHRA North Central Division TAD championship in NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 3. The highlight of Stewart’s Top Fuel season to date was reaching his first nitro final against Brown at the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on July 28. Even that achievement wasn’t without scrutiny. However, even Brown recognized the impact Smoke had racing in the NHRA. 

“Me and Tony know each other well,” Brown said. “When I started as a team-owner he was putting together TSR. We talked a lot about budgets and spreadsheets and all that. He was also a hero of mine when he ran NASCAR and INDYCAR. I know how good of a driver he is. He understands the science, so as soon as he showed up I knew what he could do.” In Round 1, Stewart defeated Langdon, Justin Ashley, and Ron August Jr. who had upset point-leader No. 1 qualifier and reigning world champion Kalitta.

While the 20-race winless streak sticks out, Stewart did have one special accolade this season.

Stewart wins a title despite the disappointing season

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Even if Tony Stewart hadn’t won a race in the NHRA, fans wouldn’t be too critical of his performance. After all, he stepped in for his wife on short notice, adapting to a whole new sport, and managed to get a few wins early on. What nobody expected was Stewart winning a title and, even more shockingly, the Rookie of the Year award for 2024. While he occasionally participated in the NHRA, this was his first full-time season stepping into the car, which meant he was a candidate for the accolade.

However, going up against him were some big names in the sport. Drivers like Brandon Foster, Richard Gadson, Daniel Wilkerson, Sienna Wildgust, and Derrick Reese were all in the running for the award. And they all had a good season too! Gadson won the #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge title in his full-time debut. Similarly, Wilkerson had an incredible year, reaching the final round at the Charlotte four-wide event.

Yet, it was Stewart who won the award. As Stewart explained, “ will say, if it was off performance, Richard Gadson would have definitely had this hands down. He did an amazing job in pro stock motorcycle this year. Daniel Wilkerson did an amazing job in the funny car. There were a lot of great rookies in all four classes this year. But the criteria is different what they consider Rookie of the Year and why they do it.” 

You see, it’s not just the performance that is considered when deciding ROTY. Fan votes are also a deciding factor. More importantly, some of the biggest auto racing journalists cast their votes based on a driver’s impact across the racing season. Considering this, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Smoke win. Perhaps he can build off this momentum and bring a title home next season.