“That's all I've got for one day”: When exhausted Tony Stewart was abruptly stopped by curiously ‘grinning’ Dale Earnhardt 

Tony Stewart was one of the lucky few drivers to land in the good books of the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. However, the circumstances of their first meeting were rather unusual.

In 1999, Stewart shifted disciplines from IndyCar to debut in NASCAR. That year, 'Smoke' also attempted the Indy 500 and the taxing Coca-Cola 600 on the same day (a feat he repeated in 2001). On May 30, a fateful day for him, Stewart ran an imperfect race in Indianapolis, where botched pit-stop decisions made him lose three laps. Nonetheless, he finished ninth, his third-best finish in five Indy 500s. However, a worse predicament awaited him in Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.

The grueling NASCAR crown jewel race extracted the life out of him. His hunger knew no bounds, and he started seeing things on track. When he stopped his Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac behind the pit road after eventually finishing fourth, he was dazed. Dale Earnhardt, who finished in sixth, directly headed to Stewart's car which was mobbed by photographers and crew members.

"I just was sitting there, and as I started getting out of the car, I got grabbed," Stewart told Fox Sports in 2014. "And that wakes you up right away, when somebody grabs you real abruptly like that. And you turn around and you see Dale and you see the grin on his face," he added. "The first thing out of his mouth is, 'Have you had enough yet?' I told him, 'I think that's all I've got for one day.'"

In Earnhardt's world, this action translated into a show of respect. Tony Stewart knew that and was deeply grateful to 'The Intimidator' for the gesture. Two years later, when he re-attempted the feat, it turned out a bigger success.

How Tony Stewart found the "game-changer" on the second try?

AUTO: OCT 27 NHRA Nevada Nationals - Source: Getty

Lack of knowledge about nutrition was Tony Stewart's kryptonite during the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. All he had were two mini-bagels for breakfast and a power bar that unfortunately melted inside the car.

Though the idea of re-attempting both races on the same day scared him after the physical breakdown, Stewart couldn't help but redo it in 2001. But this time, he knew better. He hired a trainer who monitored every morsel of food that would fuel him on the big day.

"That was a game-changer," Stewart said about the trainer. "He was with me the entire three and a half weeks. He knew everything that went into my body. I felt great in the 500, and I felt good the entire 600. I finished Top Six in both of them. So it was good enough to get the job done."

Tony Stewart won three NASCAR championships in the coming years (2002, 2005, and 2011) and became the only driver to win championships in both IndyCar (1997) and NASCAR. In 2024, he made his NHRA championship debut and won Rookie of the Year.