tony stewart: “I miss a lot of things”: $90M legend Tony Stewart ‘definitely planning’ a return to NASCAR races

“I miss a lot of things”: $90M legend Tony Stewart ‘definitely planning’ a return to NASCAR races

Modified Apr 16, 2025 03:14 GMT

NHRA: Arizona Nationals - Source: Imagn — Tony Stewart planning a NASCAR return - Source: Imagn

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has teased a potential return to the pinnacle of stock car racing but not as a driver. The legendary motorsports figure, who boasts a net worth of $90 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth), exited the sport as a driver at the end of the 2016 season.

However, Stewart stayed in NASCAR through his and Gene Haas' co-owned venture Stewart-Haas Racing. After claiming two of his three Cup titles with Joe Gibbs Racing, the Indiana native switched sides to field his own Cup organization in 2009.

Stewart earned 101 NASCAR wins through SHR. His first championship as a team owner came in 2014 when Kevin Harvick topped the leaderboard. He won his first Daytona 500 in 2017 as Kurt Busch dominated the iconic Daytona International Speedway.

But after 15 years in 2024, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas announced shutting down SHR's operations at the end of the season. Since then, the 49-time Cup race winner's focus has shifted to fatherhood and NHRA. As a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Stewart has a hard card to visit the NASCAR paddock area, however, he hasn't taken advantage of it yet.

Thus, Stewart 'misses a lot of things' about NASCAR and teased his return to the races.

"I’m definitely planning on coming back to NASCAR races. As a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, I get a hard card. I don’t know if NASCAR has the ability to revoke that or not but until they do revoke it, I’m going to take advantage of having a hard card and I definitely want to come back and see everybody," Stewart said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

"I miss a lot of things about NASCAR and most of all the people. The people are what I enjoyed about it and the relationships I had there. Definitely looking forward to coming back and seeing everybody," the 53-year-old added.

Tony Stewart- NHRA: Vegas Four Wide Nationals - Source: Imagn

It's worth mentioning that Stewart expressed his NASCAR return wish after claiming his first NHRA win in the Top Fuel category.

Tony Stewart plans to create a list of his achievements amid 'missed' mentions

Tony Stewart is one of the most successful NASCAR drivers. Of his 62 victories, 49 have come from the Cup Series, including marquee wins in two Brickyard 400 events. He is the only driver to have completed the Memorial Day Indy-Charlotte Double running 1100 miles on the same day. Much like his driver success, the legendary figure cherished plenty of achievements with SHR.

Notably, Stewart showcased his skills in other realms of motorsports as well. He is a three-time IndyCar race winner and is the only driver in history to win both NASCAR and IndyCar championships. The former NASCAR driver's open-wheel racing title came in the year 1997.

Moreover, he boasts two Chili Bowl wins, the NHRA Rookie of The Year award, and several other achievements. But he believes many of his triumphs have been omitted on social media and thus plans to create a 'full list' of everything he has and hasn't achieved in his racing career.

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Tony Stewart switched to NHRA as a replacement driver for his wife Leah Pruett, who announced a break due to family planning.

About the author

Aneesh is a Motorsports journalist at Sportskeeda and covers both NASCAR and Formula 1. An ardent sports fan since his early lawn tennis days, he has showcased his keenness in NASCAR, and has already garnered 5 million views at Sportskeeda thanks to his meticulous work.

When it comes to NASCAR, his top picks are Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain, while in Formula 1, he fervently supports Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. He believes F1 should continue to have more races in courses than in street circuits and feels NASCAR should be more proactive about global promotions to reach F1’s popularity level.

He is very particular about his sourcing for articles, largely relying on the official website of F1 and NASCAR, and relies on understanding different perspectives by browsing through social media and reputed publications for unique story angles.

Even in his spare time, Aneesh is keen to learn more about F1 cars and studies various aspects of them, including its design and engine. He enjoys driving himself and often explores new parts of his city when he can.

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Edited by Aneesh