Racing
John Oreovicz, Autos, Open-Wheel 9y

Tony Stewart's brief IndyCar career still stands out

IndyCar

Like many Hoosier short-trackers, Tony Stewart dreamed of racing in the Indianapolis 500.

Unlike many, Stewart actually got that chance. With his USAC career at its absolute peak after an unprecedented sweep of the Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown series titles in 1995, the Rushville, Indiana, native was perfectly positioned to be a part of the newly formed Indy Racing League.

The IRL hoped to strengthen the traditional path for short-track stars to race in the Indianapolis 500, the centerpiece of the league's schedule. And Stewart, more than any other driver, made the most of that opportunity in an important but often overlooked time in his career.

It was a difficult period for open-wheel racing, with the IRL trying to ramp up in the shadow of the existing CART-sanctioned Indy car series, but Stewart raced for three years in the IRL from 1996 to '98, winning three races, eight poles and the 1997 series championship in a total of just 26 starts.

"The split actually created my opportunity to race in Indy cars and Indianapolis," Stewart remarked in 2009 as part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's centennial celebration. "Winning those [USAC] championships, before they started talking about the IRL and what it was designed to do, it was still such a far stretch to even imagine being able to one day have an opportunity to drive at Indy."

It was home improvement store magnate John Menard who gave Stewart, then 25, that chance. The brash young driver was electric from the start, making Menard's powerful but temperamental Buick V-6-powered cars go faster than they ever had before.

Stewart led laps in his IRL debut at Walt Disney World Speedway (and very nearly hit a safety vehicle) on his way to a second-place finish, and he qualified on the front row at Indianapolis, only to suffer an engine failure in the race.

"Clearly, he was a star from the very first race," recalled IRL founder Tony George. "There was a lot of anticipation and expectation on his ability to perform, and I think he did that within reason with what wasn't the most reliable equipment. He was certainly spectacular.

"It was great that Menard gave him an opportunity," George added. "It would have been nice if that turned into an opportunity that would have kept him in Indy cars longer so we all could have had more to reflect on. He was good for the league, and it would have been nice to feel like he really could have accomplished his goals in racing by staying put."

Unfortunately for open-wheel racing and its fans, Stewart was at the same time testing the waters with a limited schedule in NASCAR's Busch (now Xfinity) Series and Truck Series competition between 1996 and '98, and the lure of a full-time Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing for 1999 was too much to pass up.

Stewart ran the Indianapolis 500 in 1999 as an owner/driver and again in 2001, when he finished sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. But that was his last appearance in an Indy car.

Open-wheel racing's loss was stock car racing's gain, as Stewart emerged as one of the giants of his era in NASCAR, winning 48 races to date, along with three Cup Series championships.

Stewart did finally achieve his dream of winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it came in a stock car. He won the Brickyard 400 in 2005 and '07, emulating Indy car driver Helio Castroneves each time by climbing the catch fence in celebration.

"To see those dual checkered flags come out and see them start waving, it was like the weight of the world was off your shoulders," Stewart recalled.

George praised Stewart for the way he gives back to the sport in so many ways and believes Stewart is well-positioned for success in the next phase of his life, whatever that might entail.

"He understands the whole business of motorsport well enough and knows what it takes to be successful, and as a result, surrounded himself with people that would allow him to achieve the greatest success possible," George said. "I'm sure he's weighing a lot of things right now."

One of the drivers Stewart helped and inspired along the way was George's adopted son, Ed Carpenter. Now a race-winning driver and team owner in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Carpenter is one of the few drivers since Stewart to make it to Indy cars through the traditional USAC path.

"I've always had a ton of respect for him and looked up to him," Carpenter said. "I was in USAC and wanted to be an Indy car driver like he was. There was a bit of overlap when I was starting in USAC in 1997-98 and he was still in IndyCar. I wanted to emulate that, up to the point where he went to NASCAR.

"I remember that was a big deal," Carpenter continued. "I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but I was upset to see him leave IndyCar because he was one of the dominant guys at that point when he made the move to go run for Joe Gibbs over there. It's hard to say it wasn't a good decision for him and for his career. He went on to do a lot of great things."

George had an inkling that Stewart was considering retirement based on conversations they had at the Brickyard 400 this summer.

"I'm just happy he's been able to have the career that he's had, doing it his way," George said. "That's not to say he hasn't had to live with some of his decisions, good and bad. You always appreciate a guy who is true to himself and true to his word.

"He's as passionate about what he does as anyone you know."

Carpenter said it wouldn't surprise him to see Stewart have some kind of involvement with the Indianapolis 500 in the future.

"Right when we started Ed Carpenter Racing, we had a talk about being a driver and owner, and he asked me what the heck I was thinking," Carpenter said. "He told me to get ready to be a psychiatrist as much as a car owner, working with all the people.

"It would be great if he wanted to," Carpenter added. "I know if he ever wanted a place to be involved, we'd love to have him."

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