Only once has the NASCAR Cup Series championship been decided by a tie-breaker. The year was 2011, and it came down to that final race at Homestead Miami Speedway. It was a bizarre season for Tony Stewart and his #14 SHR team as they had the worst possible regular season run. But when the playoffs came around, they found their mojo, and what transpired in Miami at the end of the season is forever etched in NASCAR folklore. Albeit at the cost of Carl Edwards.

This victory wasn’t just another trophy for Stewart’s already impressive collection. It represented the culmination of a season that transformed the driver/owner into one of only nine NASCAR drivers to win three or more Cup Series championships, joining legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon. But the victory was too good to be true even for Stewart, “If someone said (before the Chase) we were going to win a race or five races, I would have lost every bet.” But, after a decade, this race still holds a special place in his heart, as he named it as his major achievement in his illustrious racing career.

Tony Stewart’s best memory from his NASCAR days

Few NASCAR championships have been decided with such theatrical tension as Stewart’s 2011 battle with Edwards. The championship came down to Stewart and Edwards, tied in points (2403). Ideally, the champion should’ve been crowned after the race in Miami, but with both drivers level on points, NASCAR chose to go with the number of wins in the playoffs. And this is where Lady Luck favored Smoke. He had five wins in the postseason in reply to Edwards’ solo win.

“I think the championship at Homestead in 2011 with all the drama that happened that day,” Stewart recalls when asked about his proudest achievement. “There was enough drama in that race to be dramatic for five races. We had rain delays. We had car damage not once but twice that we had to go to the back to fix, a bad pit stop that was late in the race that put us in a bad spot, and then a strategy at the end of trying to save fuel and literally Carl Edwards. He was leading the race, us running second at the time.”

Edwards was in command of the race starting from the pole, while Stewart’s No. 14 Chevy Impala had a hole in the grill after catching debris from the track. But, the #14 team braved through the challenges and gained momentum with pit stops and finally had Edwards in their sight. They had to make another pit stop, but the team gambled and banked on a fuel mileage strategy, and that did the trick. The rain that brought the caution forced Edwards to pit and restart behind Smoke. Despite giving his all, he had to settle for a runner-up finish, both in the race and the championship.

“I get a call on the radio from the crew chief to start saving fuel. Well, the only way you save fuel is to slow down, and he [Edwards] has literally four or five car lengths in front of me,” Stewart explains, describing the agonizing moment watching Edwards—his championship rival—pull away. “And so when you start saving fuel and you watch the car in front of you going further and further away and getting smaller and smaller and smaller, and you’re like, I’m giving this championship away right now as a driver.” That fuel strategy ultimately delivered the track position needed for victory in one of NASCAR’s most dramatic championship conclusions.

While Tony Stewart counts the 2011 championship among his greatest achievements, he pairs it with an accomplishment from earlier in his career that showcases his extraordinary versatility. In 1995, Stewart claimed the USAC “Triple Crown” by winning the National Midget, National Sprint, and Silver Crown Championships all in one season. And this was another standout achievement he felt stood out for him from his racing career.

“I think winning the USAC Triple Crown in 95, winning the National Midget National Sprint and the Silver Crown Championships all in the same season, that’s something that I’m forever going to be proud of because winning one of those is hard,” Stewart explains. “Winning two of them is obviously harder, and winning three is way harder. There’s only been a couple drivers that have ever done that in one season. There’s less than—I think there’s less than 10 drivers that have won in all three disciplines, period, not in the same season.”

This versatility became Stewart’s calling card throughout his career. From his USAC championships to an IndyCar title in 1997, through his NASCAR success and later ventures into sprint cars and NHRA drag racing. Stewart stands alone as the only driver to win championships in stock cars, Indy cars, and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown.

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From NASCAR Champion to Drag Racing Phenom

Tony Stewart’s stunning victory in the NHRA Top Fuel series at the Las Vegas 4-Wide Nationals marks a historic achievement in motorsports versatility. At 53, the three-time NASCAR Cup champion has successfully transitioned to the extreme world of drag racing, mastering vehicles that reach 330 mph in mere seconds, further cementing his reputation as perhaps the most complete driver American racing has ever seen.

Following challenges that included a controversial NASCAR exit, Stewart’s pivot to Top Fuel competition demonstrates the remarkable adaptability that has defined his career. Where others might have retired or remained within their comfort zone, “Smoke” embraced the technical demands of an entirely different racing discipline, proving his exceptional talent extends far beyond the oval tracks where he first made his name.

Stewart’s NHRA triumph adds another impressive credential to a career that spans multiple racing formats and roles, from driver to successful team owner. While contemporaries like Kyle Larson receive deserved praise for their versatility, Tony Stewart’s latest achievement provides compelling evidence that when discussing the most complete racers in motorsports history, the conversation must begin with him.