Tony Stewart has been one the finest racing drivers to ever grace the NASCAR tracks. He won three Cup Series titles during his career run in the sport. However, as he got older, Smoke decided to depart from the sport where he found his mojo.

Ever since, the former NASCAR champ has been racing across various other motorsports competitions. Recently, Smoke was asked about his prospects of ever running the Daytona 500 again. It is interesting to note that he has never won the said race before. The 3x champion quickly shut down any prospect of doing so. He also listed out his primary reasons to have come up with that decision.

Tony Stewart’s reasons for moving on from Daytona 500 dreams

When asked if he would ever race the Daytona 500 again, Stewart responded, “No, man, I’m too old for that.”

Explaining his reasons for avoiding the race, Stewart further said, “The two biggest races that I never won were the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. But man, you look at the races now and then the great thing was Ricky Stenhouse [Jr.] didn’t wreck somebody to win the 500. He drove his way to lead and then the caution came out behind him, and I respect that.”

Read More: Dale Earnhardt Jr Sides With Hendrick Motorsports Insider’s Pick Over Tony Stewart and Chase Elliott as Best Road Course Driver

He then spoke about the incident between Austin Dillon when he dumped Eric Almirola. Stewart also mentioned the time when Michael McDowell won the race after “the two leaders took each other out. I mean, that’s not how you want to win the biggest car race of the year. And it’s like it’s the first race of the year for NASCAR. It’s their biggest race of the year. And it ends in a crash fest all the time.”

Tony Stewart expands his racing portfolio beyond NASCAR

Smoke has found a newfound avenue to express his desire for high-octane adrenalin-pumping racing. It is no longer stock cars going around in circles that excites him, but the sight and sounds of top-alcohol dragsters. Moreover, Stewart would be racing a full top alcohol season in the NHRA this year.

Drag racing is completely different from any other racing series. The cars in top alcohol class will be the fastest cars Stewart has ever had the opportunity to pilot.

With an already extensive portfolio under his belt, the NASCAR legend is looking forward to continuing to expand his expertise. It will definitely be fantastic to witness him doing it, however, there are still many who would have enjoyed watching him win at the Daytona 500. But for Stewart, that ship has sailed off forever.

WATCH THIS STORY: Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals his least favorite drink and his sponsors are not going to like it