In the world of racing, some racers are trying to find perfection in a single discipline. Then there are racers like Tony Stewart. Such racers excel not only in a single format of racing but display their abilities and technique in others as well. For the latter, Stewart is an example. Not only is he a four-time Cup Series Champion, but he’s also won the penultimate title in IndyCar. Thus becoming the only racer to do so. After successful strides in stock car racing, the 53-year-old has been trying to have as much success in drag racing. Trying his hands in the NHRA both as a racer and as the owner of Tony Stewart Racing (TSR).

But trying to succeed in a format so different from other racing disciplines is not a simple task. In the NHRA, life is not as easy for Stewart as it may have been in other racing formats. Since making his NHRA debut in 2022, he has been trying to adapt himself to the format and be comfortable with the steering wheels of a drag car. But it can take some more time before he can achieve the comfort level and match-readiness he has with other cars. The interesting part, however, is that he is aware of it.

NHRA has opened a different racing world to Tony Stewart

His records bear witness to the fact that Tony Stewart is fond of long campaigns. He has been the four-time champion of the Cup Series- a racing format where points matter. The Cup Series involves multiple races in multiple laps. It is known to test a driver’s endurance and patience to achieve desired results. But drag racing hardly has any of these traits. The NHRA demands quick decision-making and speed from its drivers. Such is the significant change that Tony Stewart has to endure in between two different racing formats.

Although Stewart has made inroads in the NHRA, he is aware of the fact that the road to a successful career as a dragster is going to be an arduous one. Talking in the Pat McAfee show, the 53-year-old revealed the challenges that he has to face in the format, “I mean it’s only taken 40+ years in my racing career and now I am driving in a car that I have really struggled to get used to this because like we said everything was always in motion and it was a long race where now it’s short races. You have a couple hours in between runs and you gotta get yourself up, you gotta be ready, amped up, and then the car is gonna go from zero to 330 miles an hour in less than a thousand.”

While the new racing format has imposed a challenge for Tony Stewart, his records in different racing formats tell a different story. It points towards the fact that his triumph as a dragster is only a matter of time. Stewart began his career as an open-wheel racer in IndyCar back in the year 1996 as a Team Menard racer. Within just one year of his time in IndyCar, Stewart won the much-coveted IndyCar Series Championship. Looking for different opportunities ahead.

When he entered into the world of stock car racing, nobody believed that Steward would end his career as a NASCAR legend. He entered the cup series in 1999 and earned the title of Rookie of the Season. His career progression in NASCAR reached the zenith of its glory when he won the Cup series for the first time in 2002, and then again in 2005, 2011. He also led Stewart-Hass Racing– a team that he co-owns, to cup series glory in 2014. Stewart had an exemplary career in NASCAR with 49 Cup series wins before retiring in 2016.

While his career at NHRA has been a mixed bag so far, the kind of progress that the 53-year-old has made shows that the era of total Tony Stewart domination in the NHRA is about to come.

Glory days are knocking on the door once again!

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Even in the NHRA, Tony Stewart has displayed that he still has the potential to match his previous self. However, the success, both as a driver and as an owner, has come Steward’s way in bits and pieces. As a driver, Steward has recently revised his top speed in the drag racing category, hitting an impressive speed of 332.02mph in the Sonoma Raceway. This comes as another achievement for the NASCAR Hall of Fame after winning his first NHRA national event at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Additionally, Tony Stewart Racing is an impressive team in the NHRA which fields two full-time charters. While Leah Pruett represents the team in the top fuel category. Matt Hagan is the star TSR racer in the funny car category. The two racers have combined won a total of 48 NHRA events in their careers. But only time will tell whether the two racers will add on to their success in TSR Racing.

What are your thoughts on Tony Steward’s comments on his time at the NHRA? Do you think he will succeed as a dragster? Do tell us in the comments down below.