Whether it’s driving Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 car, racing with an armored truck, or even running over other cars with a World War II-era M36 tank destroyer, Tony Stewart has done it all. Well, except for competing against fans. That’s exactly what Mobil 1’s latest activation aims to do while promoting Microsoft’s 2023 reboot of the highly rated and beloved racing simulator, Forza Motorsport.

Mobil 1 – which enabled all these off-NASCAR-track activities – is back again, albeit in a virtual setup. Stewart’s initial reaction? “They said we’re doing an e-racing game, and I’m like, ‘What? No getting in something cool and driving?’” But the thought of losing quickly followed this feeling, and that’s something he isn’t looking forward to. Taking place on a Mobil 1-designed, 4.81km Maple Valley course in what will be a series of Legends vs Leaderboard Rival Events, this is a first for Stewart.

As reported by Sports Business Journal, he said, “All the commercial spots we always did with them, they always made them very comical, which resonated with the race fans… This was a cool promotion.”

The truth about motorsports is that they aren’t as accessible as other sports. Most series – from Formula 1 to NASCAR – have only a select number of seats and opportunities. So, simulators, virtual games, and iRacing are some of the only ways fans can get a taste of what actual racing is like. That’s precisely what Tony Stewart said. “Driving simulators is massive these days. So for Mobil 1 to get in this space finally and do a promotion where you’re going to bring some professional racers in and try to lay down a lap time and then know that there’s going to be hundreds of thousands of race fans [trying to beat it is awesome].”

As things stand, Stewart’s lap time for the event is currently live and will run through until August 11. He opted to record it driving a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302, a decision he took because of his long-term partnership with Ford. The 53-year-old managed a time of 1:57.453, considered “very respectable,” and Stewart hopes he remains in the upper echelons of the recorded time after the event ends. But that’s where his fear comes in when he said,

“I jokingly said, ‘In the first 5 minutes of this, there’s going to be some 8-year-old kid or 5-year-old kid that’s going to go out there and beat my time, and it’s going to frustrate the daylights out of me.’ But it was so much fun to do this.” His wife, Leah Pruett, helped him out, too!

Pruett helped her husband film his lap time on production day. Revisiting that experience, Stewart disclosed, “I didn’t even realize [how seriously I was taking it] until we shot the production day at a ranch, but I practiced a little bit till it became time to film our run. I did this project with the same intensity I had, qualifying for the Indy 500 or running a major race.” Well, that explains the “very respectable” time.

Worth an estimated $526.78 billion, Mobil 1 has been associated with the three-time Cup Series champion since 2009 and has initiated what is considered the largest video game activation to date. Created by Turn 10 Studios and Xbox Game Studios, Forza Motorsport is a highly-rated racing simulator that allows fans to race on various real and fictional tracks and participate in racing events. Mobil 1’s activation is a part of the brand’s 50th-anniversary celebration, where they allow fans to win prizes through exclusive content.

The activation will feature a legendary driver taking on the Maple Valley track each month and posting their lap times for other drivers to beat. As for Stewart, he added, “Do I feel like my lap time can be beat? Absolutely. I hope I can stay in the top 10% of people who try to beat it. My only fear is the first person who beats it is a 5-year-old kid somewhere,” he added, per Forbes.

Stewart-Haas Racing hasn’t seen much success on the track this year, prompting Stewart to step away from NASCAR’s top tier altogether by the end of this season. While that was news fans wouldn’t have particularly liked hearing, this Mobil 1 collaboration sure makes up for some of it. Imagine competing against and trying to beat the ‘Smoke’ and Indy NXT star Jamie Chadwick. Turns out, Stewart’s feeling of wanting to stay ahead of the majority is similar to Jamie Chadwick’s mindset, too!

Jamie Chadwick set a competitive lap time

While Tony Stewart’s event is already live, fans can also look forward to Jamie Chadwick featuring in the next Legends vs Leaderboards event. Driving a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, the British driver’s event will be live from August 29 to September 11. The 26-year-old is collaborating with Mobil 1 for the first time and has set a time of 1:54.859, a significant improvement from the one Tony Stewart achieved and that fans will find difficult to beat.

A three-time champion of the Formula Regional W-series, Chadwick said about the experience, “[It] was bit of an old beast to drive around the track, but when choosing or picking a car, firstly, I wanted something that people might struggle with to beat me. So, there’s a bit of tactical decision in it, but also, it’s a car that I probably won’t have the chance to drive on the road, so it’s cool to get that chance to drive it in the game.” The Andretti Global driver also noted that her car “wanted to go sideways” a lot.

It will be exciting to see which drivers Mobil 1 collaborates with next as part of their activation for Forza Motorsports’ promotion. With NASCAR currently on a two-week break because of the Olympics, it won’t come as a surprise if we see some drivers attempt to beat Tony Stewart’s lap time on the Maple Valley track as well. Plenty will try to attain bragging rights by beating Tony ‘Smoke’ Stewart’s lap time, but it remains to be seen how many will succeed.

What are your thoughts about Mobil 1’s activation idea? Let us know in the comments!