Tony Stewart’s Unearthed Texas Motor Speedway Run Turns Racing Fans Nostalgic: “We Need This Back”

Tony Stewart is responsible for some epic NASCAR moments. From breaking Jimmie Johnson’s title-winning streak in 2011 to frequently going off on Goodyear, the three-time Cup Series champion is loved by most fans. In 2014, the 52-year-old was at the back end of his career. His form had been dipping ever since he won this third championship, and it was evident that he wasn’t going to be racing for much longer. Despite his struggles, the Stewart-Haas Racing boss treated fans to a historic moment in NASCAR at the Texas Motor Speedway.

During the 2010s, NASCAR used to run Generation 6 cars. 2014 was the model’s second year in the competition. It boasted a 5.86-liter V8 engine. The Gen 6 came at a crucial time in the sport. Its predecessor, the Car of Tomorrow, was not a fan favorite at all. The Gen 6 had a much better reception, and its aero and downforce packages made racing a lot better, especially on the longer tracks. 

Tony Stewart scripted history in Texas almost a decade ago

It was on one of the longer tracks where Tony Stewart wrote a little piece of history with the Gen 6. The Texas Motor Speedway was not a track that the SHR boss was statistically all that great at. He has earned a couple of victories there, but it was never one of his strongest suits. However, in the Cup race of 2014 on the track, the SHR cars were like rocket ships.

Tony Stewart made history during the qualifying session ahead of the race. In round 2 of qualifying, SHR’s Kevin Harvick sat at the top of the timing charts. With 5 minutes left in the round, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Stewart all started their runs around the track. Gordon replaced Harvick at the top of the timing charts but was only there for a few seconds before the #14 replaced him.

The #14 SHR car was clocked at over 200 mph. It was history being written before everyone’s eyes as Tony Stewart became the first-ever driver to clock that kind of speed at a mile-and-a-half track. His top speed was recorded at 200.111 mph. Back then, it was an incredible achievement. Stewart was a happy man after the qualifying session.

“It’s always cool to be the first guy to be able to do anything. So, to do run 200 mph average on a mile-and-a-half is pretty cool,” he had said at the time.

Fans’  nostalgia was rekindled when a video of Tony Stewart’s epic Texas lap was recently shared on social media. On Reddit, people spoke about the incredible speed of the Gen 6 cars and reminisced about a season that had its downsides but was quite enjoyable overall.

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On Reddit, fans spoke about how good the 2014 Cup Series season was. Retiring veteran Kevin Harvick won his sole Cup Series title that year in his very first year with Stewart-Haas Racing.

“Those 2014 qualifying sessions were so unhinged but god, were they fun,” one fan wrote.

“I might have to watch the whole 2014 season again,” wrote another.

The Gen 6 cars were a huge success with fans. After the disappointment which was the Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR needed to come out with a better car. They delivered and perhaps even exceeded fans’ expectations, so much so that the cars are talked about even today.

“Those cars were fast. Unrestricted power and all the downforce. Really wore out the tires back then,” one fan wrote.

“Arguably the best racing in the Gen 6 was during the 2014 season. So many great races,” commented another.

And of course, where there is nostalgia, there will be the call to bring back the past. Some fans wanted that kind of speed back in the sport. Quite frankly, it might not be that bad an idea.

“We need this back,” one fan wrote.

“I just love the screaming of the high rpms. I wonder if we’ll ever get back to that,” said another.

The 2010s are not considered to be that great when compared to the earlier eras on NASCAR, but the Gen 6 cars had a lot of fans. The likes of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick created countless memories that will stay with them forever.

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