"I was proud that I owned it" - $90M Tony Stewart reflects on buying his first car with his own money

Tony Stewart recently opened up about his experience with the first car he bought with his money. The 53-year-old also recalled how he adjusted to "junk cars" during the early years of his life.

The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner is a prominent name in the world of stock car and open-wheel racing. Apart from owning SHR and Tony Stewart Racing, the Indiana native has won three Cup Series championships and one IndyCar championship.

In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, Stewart who is worth $90 Million (according to Celebrity Net Worth) joined the former Cup Series champion Harvick and reflected on the first car he bought, a '79 Plymouth.

"It was a '79 Plymouth Volare, white with a blue vinyl top that a family friend, his father used it as a mail route car. So it had holes in the interior of the door on the right-hand side for the controls. I paid $375 for it," he said. [30:54]

Furthermore, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said that he was proud of the car despite facing issues in handling it. Stewart added:

"It had worn out front shocks on it, every 2 hours it required... added one quart of oil to get down the road. But i I paid for it with my own money. I mean mode yards paper route all that stuff. So, I was proud that I owned it."

"I drove some pretty junk cars at the beginning of my life until I was able to upgrade," concluded Stewart.

The former NASCAR driver grew up racing go-karts and won his first championship in 1987 at the World Karting Association. Stewart then transitioned to the United Midget Racing Association followed by the United States Auto Club (USAC) series where he became the first driver to achieve the USAC's triple crown.

After his prolific career in the USAC's major divisions, Stewart triumphed in IndyCar and the NASCAR Series before becoming an owner/driver at Stewart-Haas Racing.

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"It is not what it used to be,": Tony Stewart on shutting down SHR's operations in NASCAR

Earlier this season, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas jointly announced the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing's operation in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series from the 2025 season. In the final few weeks of the current season, the veteran driver Stewart reflected on his decision as a team owner and some factors that influenced it.

Speaking with former SHR driver Kevin Harvick, Stewart revealed that "things" outside of your control change. He said:

"I don't know if it's even bittersweet, it's more bitter than sweet I feel like. It's a tough decision but things in life change, your priorities change, and variables outside of your control change as well. You and I have been around for a long time, it [NASCAR] is not what it used to be." [19:50]

Moreover, Stewart spoke about the ongoing legal battle between the two Cup Series teams and NASCAR.

"This is a time where things are drastically changing in the sport, you look at what is going on 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, right now with their battle with NASCAR and the direction the things are going. Its not a direction that I want to be a part of. This is the right time, this was never a part of a masterplan, as this year has gone on, this has become very clear that this the right time for me to get out of the sport," he added.

Currently, the NASCAR legend Stewart has shifted his racing focus to dragstrips. He has replaced his wife, Leah Pruett, in the Top Fuel category of the NHRA Nationals. Moreover, he recently won the regional divisional championships at St. Louis.