Long before HMS’ Kyle Larson captured the scene, showing off his versatility as a racer, acing it in dirt models, Sprint, Stock, and Midget racers, there was Tony Stewart who was and still is the jack of all trades for any enthusiasts. While “Smoke” has a feisty reputation being synonymous with NASCAR, racking up titles one after the other, he took over the open-wheel racing scene back in 1997, winning the championship, one year after his infamous crash of 1996 at Las Vegas.

However, even after 28 years of the vicious crash, the 3-time Cup Series title holder is still reliving the horrors of the high-speed wreck in what was known then as the Indy Racing League(IRL).

Recently the veteran sat down with MotorTrend Channel’s Hot Rod Podcast to divulge how the 96 wreck caught up to him, gravely injuring his left shoulder that needed emergency care.

Tony Stewart relives the horrors of his 96 wreck as the veteran undergoes crucial surgery almost 3 decades after the infamous wreck

While fans including casual racing fans love the drama a “big one” brings with it, for driver and their loved ones it’s not at all a pretty sight. Seeing their close one getting thrown around, rag-dolled, and taken the wind out of them is certainly a sight no one wants to witness. But it’s one of the brute realities of the sport everyone recognizes and is wary of.

No matter how good of a racer you are or if your guardian angel is beside you, strapping oneself into a rocket ship to take on a super-competitive field does have its consequences, especially when things go south. Even the great Tony “Smoke” Stewart wasn’t impervious to the bitterness of the sport. Speaking to the Hot Rod podcast team, the veteran revealed the horrific wreck of 1996 when he was bobbing between the NASCA Busch Series and IRL.

When asked about his recent shoulder injury, the SHR co-owner said, “We were at the SRX race at Eldora and won both heat races. And Leah was with us and she was on a photography stand in turn one and after the heat, she comes down and I said, man, my shoulder hurts.” Stewart being hard as nails simply shrugged it off joking about it and went off golfing in Iowa until he realised the gravity of the situation. 

Even though his doctors gave him a shot to relieve the ache, in the back of his mind, Stewart knew it wasn’t just that. He said, “I’m like something is wrong so Surface got us an MRI in Indianapolis and the results came back and he said I think there’s a small tear in your labrum so literally the day before Thanksgiving we go, he picks me up seven in the morning at the hotel drives me to the hospital.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Shocking disappointment as Tony Stewart’s SRX series canceled for 2024 season 

That’s when the veteran gets a reality check of how dire the situation is after his doctor updates him. Recalling the scene, he said, “So I’m coming out of the anesthesia and he goes, well, the small labrum tear we thought was three-quarters torn, had bone spurs, had a massive dent in my rotator cuff, which we tracked back to 96 at the IRL race in Vegas that 114 g hit left side.”

A broken collarbone and a damaged neck ligament – The wreck that left Stewart in shambles 

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Stewart’s Indy-style car career took off in 1996 when he competed in what was a tumultuous season for open-wheel racing. The IRL as it was known back in the day was surrounded by controversies with inner politics and legalities, prompting many teams to pull away, protesting to let their displeasure be known. It was also the year when Stewart decided to try his luck in the open-wheel extravaganza.

The 1996 Las Vegas 500K was the second round of the 1996-1997 Indy Racing League. The race was held on September 15, 1996, and was the inaugural event for the 1.500 mi (2.414 km) Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada. The event was infamous for its hard wrecks and vicious crashes. Stewart was carefully filtering through traffic, avoiding any contact until trouble came looking for him in lap 78 when Stewart’s car snapped going into turn 2, sending him spinning into the outer wall at triple-digit speeds, breaking his left collarbone and damaging his neck ligament on impact.

READ MORE: NASCAR News: Shocking Disappointment as Tony Stewart’s SRX Series Cancelled for 2024 Season

While “Smoke” was fortunate enough to escape with broken bones, nine days before the Indy 500 that year, Scott Brayton died in a crash while testing a backup car. Much like Stewart, Brayton went into a spin on Turn 2 and hit the wall at approximately 200 mph. The impact caused a basilar skull fracture.