When Tony Stewart tried to sign Kyle Larson up for his NASCAR Cup Series team in 2021

NASCAR Cup Series Hall of Famer and team owner Tony Stewart is on a mission to rebuild his team in the sport. Stewart-Haas Racing has seen a change in the driver line-up this season which has introduced Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry to the highest echelons of the sport, along with a comeback effort from Noah Gragson.

The team, co-owned by Stewart and Gene Haas, will be fielding 4 full-time entries in the 2024 season of the sport. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece will be returning to their seats in 2024. With Gragson's signing out of the way now, it is pertinent to note that Tony Stewart found himself in a similar scenario in the past too.

Just like the former Legacy Motor Club driver was suspended from NASCAR on racial grounds, Kyle Larson sat out the latter half of the 2020 season on account of a similar offense. Stewart quickly jumped on Larson, who was recognized as a top talent in the sport for his team's roster in 2021. However, talks between the drivers did not come to fruition and Larson made his way to Hendrick Motorsports.

Facing the ire of fans at the time, Tony Stewart received complaints from several NASCAR and Larson supporters, one of which came from scottmillersr on Stewart's Instagram. It read:

"Shudda put (Kyle) Larson in 14 car !! Lost out s&h racing.. Someone with no fear !! Who you got better ?? No one !! Dumbest.."

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Stewart replied to the fan's grievance in typical fashion, also addressing the talks to sign Larson into the team.

"Trust me I tried. Learn all of the details before you bash me. I tried for the last 4 years. Ford wouldn’t approve it. I TRIED"

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Here is the post in question:

Ever since the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season saw Kyle Larson's utter domination in the sport, Tony Stewart must have kicked himself for not trying harder.

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Tony Stewart wins NHRA Drag Racing award in 2023

Tony Stewart has been synonymous with NHRA Top Fuel drag racing ever since he retired from NASCAR. Introduced to the sport by his wife Leah Pruett, the former Cup Series driver seems to be doing well.

The National Dragster All-Star Team panel named Stewart as the Person of the Year for his contributions as a driver and as an owner in the series. Finishing the 2023 season in P2 in the standings, the former IndyCar driver also won the award for Top Alcohol Driver of the Year.

A recent announcement from the Stewart family also confirmed his appearance in the 2024 drag racing season after wife and driver Leah Pruett steps down to start a family with Stewart.