Sporting a badge of unparalleled versatility, Tony Stewart’s experience in racing is one-of-a-kind. Since he transitioned from Midwestern Sprint Cars to NASCAR in the 1990s, Stewart has been in a constant state of flux. From completing ‘The Double’ in 2001 to entering Top Fuel a year back, Stewart has seen it all. He has also gained wisdom that looks ahead holding grudges that young drivers usually do in wreck-filled races.

So when the NASCAR Hall of Famer lost a well-run Indy 800 to a last-lap mistake, Stewart was undeterred. On the contrary, an infectious smile adorned his face when the interviewer came. Stewart hailed his rival while taking a noble approach to his dashed luck.

Tony Stewart enthralls racing crowd with his post-race verdict

Stewart has excelled in every racing discipline American tracks have to offer. His recent crossover move into drag racing has been unique. Contrary to NASCAR, these races last four seconds instead of 400 miles, and left turns are very challenging. But Tony Stewart seems quite content in this wild atmosphere. At the recent NHRA race at zMax Dragway, ESPN reporter Ryan McGee said: “I’ve never seen Tony Stewart look this happy.”

Tony Stewart carried this infectious happiness over to the Cleetus and Cars Burnout Rivals event, Indy 500, on Friday. Leading for 63 laps, Stewart seemed poised to embarrass his rivals. However, the final lap was disastrous for him. Battling with Zack Walker, Stewart suddenly lost control and crashed into the wall.

In a post-race interview with Cleetus McFarland, Tony Stewart outlined his fight with Walker. “Yeah, I kept trying to change up what line I was running. A, to find out what was faster, and then B, try to confuse him a little bit. It did not work on him at all. He just kept running his deal, he was hauling ass. He never let me get away. So I knew that last caution with two to go, we were gonna have a work cut out for us.”

Then Tony Stewart delivered his precious verdict on the race, eliciting a round of cheers from the crowd. “That was awesome. I mean, I don’t care. Win, wreck, whatever, that’s the most fun I have had in a race car in a long time. So I’m having a blast.” 

Stewart has enough reason to keep his spirits high. He recently won a Top Alcohol race at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. But looking at the big picture, what keeps Tony Stewart happy may be because of his eclectic range of fans.

Stewart’s fans make him feel young

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Having rallied 49 Cup wins and three Championship titles, Tony Stewart is more experienced than most active drivers. But the 53-year-old driver draws inspiration not from his veteran status, but from his hunger to learn new things. His eclectic ventures into different racing series have also yielded all kinds of racing fans. So Stewart dons his darkest pair of sunglasses to discreetly scan the crowd at an autograph signing. The bliss he feels is rejuvenating.

Talking to ESPN, Stewart said: “Every time I go out to the rope to sign autographs, it’s like ‘This is Your Life’ because there will be somebody out there with a T-shirt or a die-cast car from something else I did, whether it’s NASCAR or IndyCar or a hat from a short track you’ve probably never even heard of before.” He added: “I guess it should make me feel old, but this is the youngest I’ve felt in a long time.” Being an inspiration to racers young and old, Tony Stewart indeed continues to establish his status as a motorsport legend.