Throwback: Tony Stewart Pulls Double Duties with Ease in the Coca Cola 600 a Day After Racing in the Indy 500

Published 08/03/2021, 3:35 PM EDT

In 1999, Tony Stewart had a full plate on his hands, because he was competing in two consecutive events. To be precise, he took part in the Indianapolis 500 and finished in 9th place. A day later, he took part in the 1999 Coca Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series.

Eventually, he went on to finish the race in 4th place, behind Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. Truthfully speaking, it was fairly impressive to see Stewart complete an Indianapolis 500-Coca-Cola 600 double on the same day. This is actually the first time he has pulled double duty. At Indianapolis, he completed 196 of 200 laps for Tri-Star Motorsports.

This is not the first time Tony Stewart has done this

Article continues below this ad

Two years later, ‘Smoke’ stormed to a well-deserved sixth-place at Indianapolis. Later in the day, he chalked up a fine third-place finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stewart owns the unique record of being the only driver to finish on the lead lap of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Hours after finishing 9th in the Indy 500 and starting last in the Coke 600, @TonyStewart passes teammate @Bobby_Labonte for the lead.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/0IhHXo4zY1
— Daniel McFadin (@danielmcfadin) August 2, 2021

Article continues below this ad

He confessed that for the 1999 double, he did not properly train for the two events. As a result, he paid a steep price from a physical standpoint. That regret stemmed from the fact that the Coca-Cola 600 kicked off in the scorching heat at night. It got so severe that Tony Stewart even passed out in his car.

Fortunately, he vowed not to make the same mistake for the 2001 double-header. Needless to say, his hard work paid off and he made history by being on the lead-lap in both races.

Article continues below this ad

Later on in his career, he managed to reach Victory Lane at Indianapolis by winning the Brickyard 400 in 2005 and ’07. However, the driver has insisted that he has no plans for gunning for the Indianapolis 500 anytime soon. In other words, his IndyCar and NASCAR racing days are over.

“It’s a Cool Feeling” – Tony Stewart on Winning the Inaugural SRX Championship

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.

Throwback: Tony Stewart Pulls Double Duties with Ease in the Coca Cola 600 a Day After Racing in the Indy 500

This is not the first time Tony Stewart has done this

Trending

Shaq Warns Lakers Locker Room Of Jeanie Buss Game Plan If Darvin Ham & Co Fail Vs Nuggets

Exclusive: After Claiming He Can Beat Caitlin Clark 1v1, Iowa’s No.1 NFL Draft Prospect Cooper DeJean Comes Clean

Why Is Olivia Dunne Under Fire for Code Violation?

“RIP”: Track World Mourns Loss of Virginia’s 23-Year-Old NCAA Star

After Confirming Patriots Interest, JJ McCarthy Reveals Tom Brady Was Speaking to Him Throughout National Championship Winning Season