A case could be made
that Tony Stewart is the finest driver of our time, and quite possibly the best all-around NASCAR driver of all time. He can
and has won in almost any piece of racing equipment he straps himself into. From Indy cars to sprints to dirt tracks,
and obviously as a NASCAR champion, his talent and excellence behind the wheel is as good as it gets.
If you had one race to
win and you could pick any driver, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more gifted to get up on the wheel and make
it happen. When Stewart’s equipment is right, he dominates. And when his equipment is not quite right, he
is still a huge threat to win almost anywhere.
He can be likeable and charming.
He is well-spoken. He is knowledgeable, interesting and articulate. There is no doubt he commands respect and his fan
base is huge.
Now for the rest of the
story, it is hard to know someone when all you have to see is them on the track, in an interview, and working on behalf
of a sponsor. But as they say, actions speak louder than words. He appears to be a very intimidating person. He seems
quick to anger and even rage. Maybe this is a source of energy and is what propels him to the greatness he has achieved. But
this side of him can many times come off as mean. It shows up in run-ins with reporters. It is displayed in altercations
with other drivers. And worst of all it is depicted in his dangerous actions on the track.
One example is an incident
that at the time received little attention. At Daytona a few races ago, Matt Kenseth evidently did something to Stewart that
he took a major exception to. To display his displeasure, he, with apparent intention Stewart ran Kenseth down onto the
apron at Daytona, and off the track. With both cars near the front of the oncoming 180mph plus moving parking lot, Kenseth
was turned around and left to slide up and into nearly the entire field. Miraculously, no one hit him and the only damage
done was to Kenseth’s car as he hit the outside wall.
A couple of weeks ago,
Stewart became unhappy with the actions of Paul Menard. Stewart again retaliated by bumping Menard three times on the caution
lap. No real harm was done except the clipped front fender of Menard’s car.
SCR is looking for writers in all
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Stewart may be considered
brilliant behind the wheel of a car. This brilliance is reminiscent of others who achieved greatness, namely legendary coaches,
Bob Knight in college basketball, and Woody Hayes in college football. Knight’s antics, including grabbing and
choking of his players, grew tiring at IndianaUniversity and he was sent packing. Woody Hayes’ great career was tainted
by a forearm clothes line delivered to an opposing player during a run down the OhioState sideline. These great coaches with resumes as strong as any of their
peers of all time were smudged by their inability to self-regulate their own anger-driven behavior.
In Stewart’s line of
work, losing your head and retaliating against your offender can have dire consequences. Someone can be killed or hurt very
badly. Let’s hope it never comes to that.
2006 StockCar Review.
