Tony Stewart just can’t help but try and compete in different events and races, even at the age of 52. Already running as a rookie in the NHRA Top Fuel Series this season, Smoke found himself competing in the Indy 800 event presented by Heat Wave Visual. The two-day event at the Indianapolis Raceway Park sees burnout contests and drag racing events. However, Stewart was featured in the headline, driving one of the 20 modified Crown Vics race cars.
Cleetus McFarland, the YouTube sensation, is the architect of the unique regional event that has been a big hit among race fans. With the NHRA Top Fuel returning to Indianapolis Raceway Park, Tony Stewart was presented with a lucrative opportunity. Having run the drag racing event, he also made his bid to compete in the main event, the Indy 800, with a wild card entry.
However, before he hopped into one of the Ford Crown Victoria cars, he warned his competitors, saying, “Well, it sounds like I got a bullseye on my back from listening to my competitors. But I don’t know my attitude. I’m going to treat him like I wanted to treat Joey Logano of California. I’m going to treat them all like little b*tches.”
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Although Smoke was living up to his reputation, he came short during the final lap of the race. Battling for the win against Zack Walker, Stewart went bumper-to-bumper with his rival coming off at Turn 4. However, in his desperate attempts, he lost control of his race car and crashed into the wall.
Tony Stewart wrecked on the final lap of tonight's Indy 800 at IRP pic.twitter.com/MkbCUDbtnz
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) May 4, 2024
Despite the last-lap incident, it was indeed a good sight for the fans to see one of NASCAR’s prominent personalities compete in a regional event. Going back to his NHRA Top Fuel rookie season, Stewart will be back in familiar territory in Chicago, this time running a drag racing event at the Route 66 drag strip.
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Reaction Info: Did you like Tony Stewart’s mindset for the Indy 800?
Chicagoland is like a second home race for the TSR team
After a mixed bag of results in his previous attempts, Tony Stewart will be heading to the NHRA Route 66 Nationals for his next Top Fuel event. Chicago has been a good hunting ground for the veteran driver, as he has won three Cup races at the Chicagoland Speedway. Expressing his excitement for the event, he spoke about his racing experience in the city with CBS Chicago.
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“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had the luxury of running the mile-and-a-half track obviously. I’ve ran the dirt track that’s right beside the drag strips. So now, I’m going to get the trifecta at Chicagoland and get to run all three racetracks… We are from southern Indiana, our race team is on the west side of Indianapolis, so this is a second home race, so to speak.” Stewart said.
Having faced tough times since his start to NHRA Top Fuel racing, perhaps Chicago can bring some joy to the TSR camp. Given that Stewart is known to win in anything that runs on four wheels with a motor, you cannot count him out of contention.