Clint Bowyer reacts with a four-word take on $90M icon Tony Stewart’s successes
NASCAR legend Tony Stewart has built one of the most storied careers in motorsports history, earning championships and victories across a wide range of racing disciplines. Recently, fellow NASCAR veteran Clint Bowyer offered a brief but heartfelt reaction to "Smoke’s" remarkable lifetime achievements, acknowledging Stewart’s lasting impact on the sport.
$90M worth (as per Celebrity Net Worth) Tony Stewart’s legendary NASCAR career was set in motion with his debut in the Busch Series (now Xfinity) in 1996. His time in the series saw him earn 11 wins and 41 top-10 finishes, a performance that propelled him into the Cup Series. Over 18 seasons at the top level, Stewart racked up 49 victories, over 300 top-10s, and claimed three Cup Series championships.
Beyond his remarkable NASCAR resume, Tony Stewart has left an indelible mark across multiple forms of motorsport. He is an IndyCar Series champion, a four-time United States Auto Club (USAC) champion, an IROC (International Race of Champions) titleholder, and even an NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) champion.
Former Xfinity Series champion Clint Bowyer recently dubbed Tony Stewart the 'GOAT' in a social media post. Bowyer shared a post from Stewart’s NHRA team, TSR Nitro, which highlighted an impressive list of Stewart’s career accomplishments across multiple motorsport disciplines.
"GOAT level status…..Unlocked." Bowyer wrote on X.
Clint Bowyer and Stewart raced alongside each other for over a decade before "Smoke" stepped away from full-time NASCAR competition. After retiring as a driver, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner captured a Cup Series championship in 2014 as a team owner with Kevin Harvick.
Today, the 49-time Cup Series race winner competes full-time in the NHRA Series, stepping in for his Top Fuel Dragster wife, Leah Pruett. Stewart has cut ties with NASCAR entirely, following the announcement of his team's departure from the sport after the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Tony Stewart reflects on two major regrets from his racing career
In a recent episode of NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace's show, Tony Stewart revealed two major regrets from his racing career. The first instance that Stewart revealed was his tragic incident with Kevin Ward Jr. on August 9, 2014. The former champion was competing in a sprint car race at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Ontario County, New York.
For reasons unknown, Kevin Ward Jr., who was also competing in the event, got out of his car during the race and was eventually hit by Stewart's #14 entry. Ward Jr. eventually succumbed to his injuries.
“I still get blamed for it, all the time, daily by people that have no clue what the hell they're talking about,” Stewart told show host Kenny Wallace. “I still get blamed for something that was not my fault.”
The other major thing that Smoke would want to change was how he 'treated' his fellow competitors.
“The other thing that I would have changed is...I would have loved to go back and treated people better. I was so tense with racing, I was so on edge all the time… all I cared about was winning races and what we had to do. I was not a good person to people.” he added.
Meanwhile, the Cup Series will return for the Jack's Links 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on 27th April at 3:00 PM Eastern. Catch the race live on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM.