“A man of many moods”: When Tony Stewart’s biographer deemed the NASCAR legend ‘so interesting’ 

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship - Source: Getty
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship - Source: Getty

Former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart once collaborated with writer Monte Dutton to provide an inside look at a NASCAR Cup Series season. Stewart allowed Dutton to shadow him throughout the 2000 campaign, resulting in the book Rebel with a Cause.

However, Following Tony Stewart's 2012 interview with Dutton at Talladega, the Gaston Gazette writer remembered a few details about the 53-year-old from nearly a decade ago.

Tony Stewart's NASCAR journey began in the Truck Series in 1996, progressing swiftly to the Cup Series after earning 11 wins and 41 top-ten finishes in the Busch Series. Over an illustrious 18-year career, Stewart secured three Cup Series championships, 49 wins, 15 poles, and over 300 top-ten finishes. He earned six top-five finishes and one win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before retiring.

In 2012, Stewart was lined up to share the exciting news that Bass Pro Shops would sponsor the three-time champion. However, Monte Dutton entered his trailer to interview him. Dutton remembered interesting details about their interaction close to when he was covering Tony Stewart's 2000 season for 'Rebel with a Cause'.

It was at Michigan, and I was interviewing Stewart in his hauler, back when such occurrences were possible. I began the interview by pulling out a Cabela’s notepad. Cabela’s is a competitor of Bass Pro Shops, and I think the Michigan Busch race was the Cabela’s 300," Dutton wrote
Or maybe it was a Truck race, and maybe it was the Cabela’s 250. I could, of course, look this up, but it’s not crucial to the story. 'I can’t do an interview with you,' Stewart said. 'Why not?', 'That notepad. I’ve got a deal with Bass Pro Shops.' 'Well, I’ve got a deal with Cabela’s. They gave me this notepad," I responded. It was, of course, a joke. The interview went fine. Stewart can be playful. In fact, Tony is a man of many moods, which is part of what makes him so interesting." he added

In recent developments, Stewart Haas Racing, a team the former champion co-owned exited the sport following the end of the 2024 season. However, SHR's co-owner Gene Haas decided to remain in NASCAR through the Haas Factory Team (HFT).


Why did Tony Stewart lead Stewart Haas Racing have to leave NASCAR?

Brought to life in 2002, Tony Stewart's Stewart Haas Racing has been an integral part of the history of the sport. In their 22-year career, SHR secured 3 driver championships and over 100 races across NASCAR's top three divisions.

Sustaining a team in the financially demanding world of NASCAR can be a significant challenge. Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) faced such difficulties last year, losing two key sponsors, Anheuser-Busch and Smithfield. Adding to the strain, their partnership with Ford Performance was also set to conclude, with Ford announcing they would not renew their association with SHR after the 2024 season.

These challenges, among other factors, significantly influenced Tony Stewart and Gene Haas's decision to cease all SHR operations after the 2024 season. The situation underscores the critical role of financial stability and maintaining strong sponsor relationships in sustaining a NASCAR team.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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