"Don't bring them anywhere near me" - When Tony Stewart issued a warning to Goodyear after a chaotic moment with Ryan Newman

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart was one of Goodyear's most vocal critics during his time in the premier stock car racing series. He never missed an opportunity to take potshots at the exclusive tire supplier, notably lambasting them during his first Daytona 500 entry as a team co-owner and driver.

After switching from Joe Gibbs Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing as a co-owner and driver in 2009, Stewart was involved in a wreck during Speedweeks. In the final practice session leading up to the Daytona 500, SHR driver Ryan Newman blew a right-rear tire, collecting Stewart and causing significant damage to both cars.

With both SHR drivers switching to their backup cars for the marquee event, Stewart expressed his frustrations with Goodyear in front of the media. The SHR co-owner had long been critical of the exclusive deal held by the Akron, Ohio-based tire manufacturer and campaigned for multiple tire suppliers in NASCAR.

"A manufacturer that has the sole deal here, they don't have any competition and they can't give us something to keep us from having problems like this. So I don't know. I'm just amazed at how much everybody kisses their butts right now," he was quoted by ESPN in 2009.

Stewart took aim at the repeated Goodyear tire failures in the past and those during the 2009 Speedweeks at Daytona, where excessive tire wear was reported in the qualifying races. The former #14 SHR driver said that the company craved media attention, regardless of whether the headlines were negative or positive. He said:

"Same stuff we always talk about every year is failures that Goodyear has. I think that's part of their marketing campaign. The more we talk about it, the more press they get. I think they forget that it's supposed to be in a good way, not a bad way."

"Don't bring them anywhere near me," he said about the Goodyear officials. "Don't bring them close. Don't let them come close. I don't want anything to do with them."

Stewart finished eighth in his maiden Daytona 500 appearance as a team co-owner, while teammate Newman was classified 36th in the rain-shortened event, which was won by Matt Kenseth.

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Did Tony Stewart win the Daytona 500?

Tony Stewart made 17 starts in the Daytona 500 during his time with Joe Gibbs Racing and as a team co-owner at Stewart-Haas Racing. However, he never succeeded in winning the prestigious Harley J. Earl trophy, coming closest with a second-place finish to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2004.

The Smoke did win three Duel races and found success in the Busch Series at Daytona International Speedway. He won seven NASCAR Xfinity Series openers at the 2.5-mile oval when Buschwhacking was prevalent in the sport. Additionally, he won the Daytona 500 as a co-owner when Kurt Busch took the checkered flag in the #41 Ford.

NASCAR: 2017 Daytona 500 (Source: Imagn)

The three-time NASCAR champion and IndyCar champion also made five attempts in the Indianapolis 500, securing the pole position in 1996. His best finish came in 2001 when he was classified sixth while attempting 'The Double,' later finishing third in the Coca-Cola 600.