In 2015, Tony Stewart did something few expected. The man known as “Smoke” announced he was stepping away from NASCAR at the end of the 2016 season. After nearly two decades, three Cup Series championships, and 49 victories, Stewart told the world he was done with full-time stock car racing. It sent shockwaves among the racing fans. Stewart wasn’t just another driver. He was an ambassador of the sport. A fierce competitor, a team owner, and an influential figure in the garage.

But he made it clear—this wasn’t about performance or pressure. “It’s not performance-based, it’s just time. You know when it’s time to do something different,” he said back then, standing at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop. And even though it was the end of an era, Stewart insisted it was just a new beginning. Fast forward to today, nearly a decade later, and anyone hoping to find Tony lounging on a porch, sipping iced tea, will walk away disappointed. He hasn’t slowed down at all—if anything, he’s shifted into a higher gear. The former NASCAR driver is still chasing finish lines—just in a different kind of beast.

His passion has morphed but never faded. And while Stewart-Haas Racing has since closed its doors, Smoke has turned the spotlight to NHRA, where he’s not just participating—he’s winning. Now, as Stewart cruises through the twilight of his racing career, questions swirl. Is retirement really on the horizon this time? In a string of candid interviews, Stewart finally lays it all bare. And of course, he does it in the most Tony Stewart way possible.

Tony Stewart opens up about his future plans!

At 53, Tony Stewart isn’t just showing up to the NHRA Top Fuel drag races—he’s dominating. Just recently, he claimed a memorable win at the 4-Wide Nationals, Las Vegas. His first Top Fuel win in his second full-time season. It’s not just about racing anymore; it’s about making history. In only his second full year in Top Fuel, he’s already second in the championship standings. Think about that. IndyCar champion. Three-time NASCAR Cup champion. USAC Triple Crown winner. And now, NHRA race winner. Stewart stands alone in racing history. No one else has done what he’s done across these series.

So why keep going? Why risk it all in a 12,000-horsepower dragster that rockets to 330 mph in under four seconds? Stewart’s answer is as raw and funny as you’d expect: “I’d think about it, but I’m too lazy to find a real job,” he said with a smirk in a recent interview with the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast. But behind the sarcasm, there’s clarity. “I know there’s going to be a day that that’s going to come, but I feel like you’re just going to wake up one morning and go, ‘Okay, I’ve had enough.’ And I don’t do it now because I have to, by any means. I do it because I want to… You know I still wake up every day, and I still go to bed at night with that—that-that drive and desire to go to the racetrack on the weekends,” he added.

The numbers back up his passion. Stewart’s legacy stretches across disciplines. His father, Nelson, is still racing at 86. “My dad turns 87 this year and still drives. So, I feel like, genetically, I’ve got 30 more years in me,” Tony had said earlier this year. That’s not just stubbornness—that’s heritage. Racing runs deep in the Stewart family tree. But it’s more than blood. It’s joy. “If you’re gonna do it, you gotta be all in. That’s why I got out of NASCAR. It stopped being fun,” Stewart explained during a recent BBQ stop in Texas.

Despite already locking down a Hall of Fame career in NASCAR, Stewart isn’t chasing legacy anymore, he’s chasing the rush. As a rookie in NHRA’s Top Fuel class, Stewart shocked the drag racing world with his quick rise. In Las Vegas, he won his first Top Fuel race and now sits second in points. Not bad for a “retired” driver. And it’s not just him. His wife, Leah Pruett, is also an NHRA standout.

Though she’s stepping back for a bit after the birth of their son, Dominic, she’s still part of the plan. There’s even talk of the couple racing together in future seasons. Imagine that—racing parents and a future racer in diapers. The Stewarts don’t just live racing, they breathe it. For now, Stewart’s not done yet. He may have said goodbye to NASCAR in 2016, but racing? He’ll quit when it stops making him happy. And that day isn’t today.

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Stewart points out NASCAR’s biggest issue!

But it’s not all laughs when the topic shifts back to NASCAR. Tony Stewart has spoken out lately about the sport he once ruled. He still watches it and respects it, but he doesn’t like where it’s headed. In a blunt moment on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, he said what many fans have been thinking: NASCAR is its own worst enemy. From internal politics to frustrating rule changes, Stewart didn’t hold back.

“There’s still a ton of things every week to be excited about, going to a NASCAR race. I didn’t like NASCAR when I quit driving, and I started being in the broadcast booth. I’m still a fan of NASCAR. I still like to watch NASCAR races, but I also know the inner workings of it, and I know the hurdles and roadblocks that internally NASCAR has created for itself, and that’s the part that p—– you off and frustrates you, knowing how much better it could be,” he said.

His criticism hit especially hard when NASCAR complicated Kyle Larson’s plans to race both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, a crossover Stewart fully supports. “The dirt track community are all Kyle Larson fans, and every time NASCAR does this, more and more dirt track fans get pissed off… They don’t have thick enough skin to listen to their own fans, their own competitors, to do the right things,” Stewart warned.

And he’s right. High ticket prices, fan disconnect, and team struggles have chipped away at NASCAR’s once-unshakable popularity. Stewart’s own team, SHR, folded in 2024, a move that shook the industry and underlined the financial flaws Stewart has long warned about.