"This guy is the real deal" - When Tony Stewart's sheer pace blew away IndyCar mastermind

Late IndyCar legend Larry Curry was blown away by Tony Stewart's pace at a test session in 1996 and the then-Menard Team Manager called up owner John Menard to sign the rookie immediately. The American started his motorsports career in IndyCar and even won the 1996-97 IndyCar season.

Stewart is today recognized as one of the greatest to ever race in NASCAR, having won the series three times. He also won a championship as an owner of his Stewart/Haas team.

After Stewart announced that he would be retiring from full-time racing in 2016, Larry Curry shared the story of his first encounter with the legend, when he came to test for the Menard team as a 24-year-old at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando.

Curry explained how he was blown away by Stewart's pace and he even claimed that the American was quicker than veterans Eddie Cheever and Scott Brayton, who were testing at the same time. He said:

“I was testing Eddie Cheever and Scott Brayton. In 36 laps, Tony was quicker than both of ‘em. It was unbelievable" [via Indycar.com in November 2016]

“I got on my cell phone and called (team owner) John Menard and said, ‘We’d better sign this guy. This guy is the real deal.’ The rest is history.” he added.

Curry was responsible for giving Tony Stewart his first break in IndyCar. The American then went on to win the series [known then as the Indy Racing League] in the 1996-97 season, claiming his first race win along the way at Pikes Peak, Colorado.

He then left IndyCar after 2001 and went on to join the NASCAR Cup Series, where he won two titles as a driver, one title as a driver/owner and one more as an owner of his Stewart/Haas team.

After his retirement, Stewart also co-founded the Superstar Racing Experience, a stock-car racing series, which he also won in its inaugural 2021 edition.

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Tony Stewart's first IndyCar contract was written up on a restaurant napkin, revealed Curry

Tony Stewart racing in the Lola Menard at the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, 1996 - Source: Getty

Larry Curry also shared how Tony Stewart's first ever IndyCar contract was signed on a restaurant napkin in Orlando, following the test at the Walt Disney World Speedway. Stewart had also had previous unsuccessful negotiations with A. J. Foyt Racing in 1996.

Speaking in 2016, Curry explained how he was in a hurry to sign the rookie up for Menard and shared the circumstances in which the agreement was made with Stewart. He revealed:

“We wrote up an agreement on a restaurant napkin at Charley's Steak House in Orlando. I would give anything if I still had that damn napkin!” [via Indycar.com]

Before his test with Menard in 1996, Stewart had already made history as the first driver to win USAC’s Triple Crown, claiming titles in Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown racing in 1995.

The launch of the Indy Racing League in 1996 was a major reason behind him even being at the test at Orlando as the league was intended to provide oppurtunities to drivers who had performed well at the grassroots level, like Tony Stewart.