Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr are among the biggest names of this century in NASCAR. The two share a great camaraderie both on and off the track. NASCAR fans have witnessed some great battles between the two on the track. At the same time, we have seen glimpses of their friendship off the track.
Stewart’s signature “to-your-face honesty” often gets him labeled as impolite. Some of his most iconic off-track moments are those when he calls out ridiculous questions from journalists. On the other hand, Dale Jr is much calmer but enjoys listening to Stewart’s responses. It’s their diametric personalities that often make their exchanges hilarious. In this case, Stewart ended up getting mad over a journalist’s question which according to him was “Petty Cr*p.”
Tony Stewart lashes out in the presence of Dale Earnhardt Jr
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Tony Stewart is one of the greatest racing drivers in American motorsports history. And one of the traits that go with his legendary status is that he takes racing very seriously—be it on the tracks or in discussions outside of tracks. After the 2012 Capital City 400, Stewart was already anguished about losing the race due to a late caution. He was in the lead, but it changed due to a late caution at the Richmond Raceway.
Stewart, who was already agitated by the situation, was not in a great mood at the press conference after the race. During the press conference, he sat beside his friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. The two were responding to questions when an ESPN journalist, David Newton, asked Stewart about the lack of wrecks in the last three races. Newton asked, “Third-straight race there’s been no wreck. I mean, does that amaze you? Have you ever seen anything like that?”
In the video, it’s clear from Junior’s expression that he knew what was about to come. Stewart was in no mood and responded to Newton, saying, “David, only you’d ever think about stuff like that. I don’t know what you think of during a race, but I try to figure out how to win a race and make my car go fast. I don’t sit there and think about petty c*ap that you think.”
Dale Jr sat beside Stewart trying his hardest to control his laugh. It was clear that the two were in two completely different moods. However, Dale Jr.’s laughing showed that the two share a great friendship. While the 2012 Capital City 400 was won by Kyle Busch, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart got the podium by finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
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Dale Jr and Tony Stewart share a peculiar brand of friendship
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There are numerous tales in NASCAR of the deepest of friendships being born out of clashes. It was somewhat similar for Junior and Stewart as well. It took a scuffle to create the bond between these two drivers.
The friendship between Junior and “Smoke” dates back to Junior’s rookie season.
Moreover, through the course of time, their friendship continued to grow. A couple of months ago when Stewart appeared on the sets of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Jr attested to this fact, saying, “There were moments where we didn’t agree. We were frustrated with each other. But he is a kinda guy, you know. He is one of those friends. He gets over those things easily.”
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Such is fate that most of the best relationships in our lives, just like Dale Jr and Stewart, don’t begin on the happiest of notes. However, those often evolve into the closest of friendships.