Hey, how about this? A few weeks back, Armor All and Tony Stewart approached us with an offer -- give them your best Tony Stewart questions, and Tony would answer 'em. And while we got many, many good ones -- and many we couldn't possibly use, no matter how funny they were -- we ended up with the ones below. Congrats, enjoy, and thanks to Armor All for helping set this up! Make sure you visit the Armor All sweepstakes site to win the chance to hang with Tony -- and tell him to stop back by soon, willya?
Marbles: Tony, it's been said that everyone is famous for 15 minutes. What are the most memorable 15 minutes of your life?
Stewart: Probably that first Brickyard 400 win. You dream about something for so long, you become consumed by it. When I was in USAC trying to make a living as a race car driver, I drove a tow truck for a guy I raced Sprint cars against. I would drive down Georgetown toward 16th Street, parallel with the frontstretch, and wonder what it would be like 300 feet to the left running 200 mph. I got a chance to do that, and finally, after years of trying to win, be it in Indy cars or stock cars, I got to know what it feels like, to see that view coming down the front straightaway, seeing the checkered flag and knowing that I was the first driver to cross the stripe, versus the second, third or fourth-place guy. I had wanted that moment for so long, and I finally got it.
Marbles: You have mentioned before that you wouldn't mind getting out of NASCAR at an early age and racing something else, so how many more years do you have left in the tank? Is it based on age or championships?
Stewart: In my career I've always had opportunities once I'd proven myself in one series to move up into another series. I wanted to be in the top series in the country and this is definitely it. It doesn't get much better than Sprint Cup racing. I could've stayed in the IRL but I wanted to be in the top series and I really like this form of racing. I like the close competition and the competition is very stiff here. You go out together 38 weekends a year and it makes for a pretty fun season.
Marbles: Lil Wayne recently made the song "Kobe Bryant" before the NBA Finals. What singer or band would you want to create the song "Tony Stewart" and how would the song go?
Stewart: I'll go with Kid Rock on that, and we've gotten to become pretty good friends over the years, so I'd let him run with it. He knows me and he knows what I'm about.
Marbles: When you were young, what was the moment that you knew you wanted to be a driver?
Stewart: I always wanted to be a driver, but deciding that this is what I was going to do didn't happen until 1993 at Phoenix when I finished second in the Copper World Classis. Second-place paid $3,500, and it sure beat eight-hour days in a cold machine shop back in Columbus, Ind. I added up how many days I'd have to work to make $3,500, and it was then that I decided that I could race professionally.
Marbles: I often wonder if, during a race, you are sneaking a peek at Ryan Newman's progress? Does having another car in the race ever become a distraction?
Stewart: Obviously, if I see him I know how he's doing. Every now and then under a caution I'll ask how he's doing. But I pretty much focus on my race. When I'm at the track, I'm a driver. The car owner part is Monday through Thursday.
Marbles: How much more successful do you think you would have been staying in IRL with regards to number of wins and championships versus NASCAR? And would you consider giving a fellow open-wheeler, Danica Patrick, a shot at a third car at SHR?
Stewart: I have no idea. I don't deal in hypotheticals and what-ifs. I deal in reality. As far as a third team goes, I think right now the biggest thing is you've got to make sure you can fund it first. You can build a team, but if you don't have the money to run it, it's not going to work. So, making sure that you've got proper funding is obviously the biggest thing.
Marbles: Do you feel that you've had a "defining moment" in your career? If so, what was it?
Stewart: There have been a lot of small moments, I guess, where I felt like I had accomplished what I had set out to do in a certain series and felt like I was ready to move on. It's no different than the corporate ladder, really. I think the moment when I felt that I was a true, professional race car driver was in 1995 when I won all three USAC national championships. Once I did that, I felt that my decision to try and become a professional race car driver - to make a living - was justified. I had only been driving professionally for two years up to that point, so at that particular moment in my life, my decision to become a professional was justified.
Thanks again to Tony and Armor All, and keep an eye out here for more driver Q&As created by you. Yes, you. Well, maybe not you over there. But most of you.
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