Tony Stewart might be withdrawing his interest from NASCAR racing after Stewart Haas Racing’s exit this season. However, he has found a new avenue in drag racing, where he can devote his time and energy to continue pursuing his passion for speed. The 53-year-old is competing in his rookie year in the Top Fuel division, and he is still learning the tricks of the trade, to say the least.

But dedication and perseverance haven’t been an issue for Stewart and his team. And with the US Nationals coming up at Indianapolis Raceway Park, he is excited to hit the ground running. In line with the special event, Stewart shed light on the new paint scheme that the TSR dragsters will don this week. He did it via the Pat McAfee show, and even Pat got an opportunity to get a feel of the sheer power of the 11,000-horsepower dragsters.

Tony Stewart unveiled a special color scheme for the US Nationals

The NHRA event is just as special as the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400 race. The first edition of the US Nationals was held at Great Bend Municipal Airport back in 1955. Then it moved to Detroit Dragway from 1959-1960 with the sponsorship from the National Hot Rod Association. But the marquee event finally found its forever home in 1961 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, making it a hallowed ground for the drag racers.

Now for Stewart, Indiana is his home, and it will be his first time competing in the NHRA top fuel event at the hallowed grounds. Sharing his excitement with the new paint schemes, Stewart said, “Yeah, this is to celebrate Direct Connection’s 50th anniversary. So we did a throwback scheme, you know it’s US Nationals this weekend, this is the Superbowl for drag racing for NHRA.”

Pat even got an exclusive hands-on feel with the stunning-looking dragsters during the unveil. “It’s a home race for us, and obviously Dodge is a great partner of ours. Having them here, being able to debut the paint schemes, and we even got a chance to drop you down in an 11,000 horsepower funny car,” Stewart explained. Whereas, trying to express his feelings after experiencing the rumble of the Top Fuel dragster, Pat added, “I felt alive in there.”

Now, it is indeed hard for NASCAR fans to understand the ins and outs of the NHRA racing scene. Particularly seeing two dragsters on display, one resembling a sports car and the other as a hot rod. But Stewart, through McAfee’s platform, highlighted the differentiating factor between the two cars with a chilling explanation.

What’s the difference between a Funny Car and a Top Fuel dragster?

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The Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest in the business and are referred to as the ‘kings of the sport.’ These cars can cover a dragstrip in 3.7 seconds, burning up to 15 gallons of nitromethane fuel in a single run. Top Fuel cars are 25 feet long and can weigh around 2,330 pounds.

The Funny car, in comparison, is powered by a similar 500-cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi engine but has a shorter wheelbase and a carbon-fiber body. Explaining the difference between the two cars, Stewart opined, “I think the biggest thing, biggest variable is the car I drive with the top fuel dragster; the bonner is behind me. So if something happens, it blows up, it catches on fire, the fire’s behind me, and going away from it.”

“Now Hagan, who drives that Funny car if that blows up, you are going into the fire and not a little fire. This isn’t like a matchbook that catches on fire; this is nitromethane burning and you’re driving into it. So I think the Funny car guy, I think they’re crazy,” The SHR co-owner concluded.

Tony Stewart came oh so close to winning his first NHRA Top Fuel event at Sonoma Nationals, but came up short in the final round. However, he could script a historic win in his backyard at the Indianapolis Raceway Park.