Tony Stewart’s leap into NASCAR’s big leagues wasn’t just about driving—it was about building an empire. In July 2008, he shocked the racing world by leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and Chevrolet to take a 50% stake in Gene Haas’s struggling Haas CNC Racing, turning it into Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

Haas, the brains behind Haas Automation, had been grinding since 2002 but needed a spark. Stewart brought star power, Chevy backing, and a driver-owner mentality that flipped the script. By 2009, SHR was racking up wins at Charlotte, Pocono, Watkins Glen, and Kansas, proving “Smoke” wasn’t just a wheelman but a game-changer.

Enter Kevin Harvick in 2014, a move that supercharged SHR into a championship juggernaut. Harvick was no rookie as he’d already nabbed a Daytona 500 in 2006 and racked up consistent top-fives at Richard Childress Racing (RCR). But after 13 years, he needed a reset. Stewart saw him as “an asset” and “the perfect fit.” The gamble paid off big-time. Harvick, paired with crew chief Rodney Childers, won five races and the 2014 Cup title in his first SHR season, leading more laps in two years than in his entire RCR career.

Stewart’s vision and Harvick’s talent made SHR a force, but fans are still duking it out over who’s the bigger legend. The Stewart-Harvick debate isn’t just about stats; it’s personal. Both are NASCAR titans, but their head-to-head battles have fueled endless arguments.

The 2006 Watkins Glen race saw Harvick pull off a stunner, passing Stewart with four laps to go to steal the win on one of Smoke’s best tracks. In the 2010’s DRIVE4COPD 300, Harvick hooked Stewart out of Turn 2, sending him spinning, though Stewart saved it and later snatched the lead back, showing his grit. Then there was the 2015 Phoenix race, where an early tangle left Stewart spinning into the wall while Harvick cruised to victory. Even as teammates at Stewart-Haas Racing from 2014 to 2016, their battles were fiery, proving their friendship didn’t dull their competitive edge.

Fans have been duking it out forever over who’s the better driver, and a recent Reddit post titled “Stewart or Harvick — who was better?” sent the debate into overdrive. The comments section turned into a battleground, with fans passionately picking sides and laying out why one outshone the other.

Fans weigh in on Stewart vs. Harvick

The Reddit thread lit up with fans staking their claims. One jumped in hard, “Lol. Tony everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. No disrespect to Kevin, but Tony is a top 3 all time American race car driver.” Stewart’s resume backs this up: three Cup titles (2002, 2005, 2011), a 1997 IRL championship, and wins in USAC, World of Outlaws, and now NHRA Top Fuel. Jeff Gordon once said Stewart could “drive a bathtub” with wheels, and Kyle Larson called him the most versatile racer ever. His ability to dominate across disciplines puts him in rare air with Mario Andretti and A. J. Foyt.

Another fan doubled down, “Tony is one of only 3 men to win Cup titles with 2 different teams since 1980. He was also the first driver in 19 seasons to win one driving for his own team… It’s a shame Kevin got stuck driving at 200 percent for 13 years to make RCR cars look a helluva lot better than they were.” Well, things could’ve been different had Harvick taken a call about his career a little earlier. He did try his best in giving RCR that spark after Dale Earnhardt’s passing, but the team was just different.

A third fan piled on, “Who was the last driver to win a championship before Jimmie went five straight and then be the first to win a championship after? Tony Stewart… This is coming from a Khane fan who still remembers Chicagoland 2004.” Stewart’s 2005 title came just before Jimmie Johnson’s five-year reign, and his 2011 win broke that streak. He also won under three different points systems and with three manufacturers, with Pontiac, Chevrolet, and SHR’s rebranded Chevy. That Chicagoland 2004 nod? Stewart’s aggressive move on Kasey Kahne showed his relentless drive, a hallmark of his career. Although the pit crews got into a fistfight, Smoke was enjoying his win in the victory lane.

One more chimed in, “Stewart no question, was better in a much stronger era… Head-to-head, Stewart and Harvick were teammates at SHR… Stewart beat Harvick more often when both finished on the lead lap.” Stewart’s prime in the late ‘90s to early 2010s saw him outshine legends like Gordon and Earnhardt, racking up 49 Cup wins to Harvick’s 60 but with three titles to Harvick’s one. Their SHR years favored Harvick statistically, but Stewart’s earlier dominance tips the scales.

Finally, a fan summed it up with “I like Harvick, but Smoke is arguably one of the top talented drivers of all time. Now, if Harvick didn’t have to carry RCR… he’d have more of a chance in this debate.” Harvick’s 2001–2013 RCR stint kept the team afloat post-Earnhardt, but it wasn’t until SHR’s top-tier cars that he hit his peak, winning 35 races from 2014 to 2020. Stewart, though, built SHR into the powerhouse Harvick thrived in, cementing his edge as a driver and visionary.