Learn more about "Smoke" and his career in racing
 Tony Stewart
Race Driver
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"He never let me settle for second," said Stewart of his dad, who still frequents races whenever his schedule permits. "He didn't like it when we ran second, and he knew that I didn't like it when we ran second. If he saw that I wasn't giving 100 percent, then he was on me pretty hard about it. He pushed me to be better.
"He never pressured me to be the best race car driver in the world, but he did pressure me to be the best race car driver that I could be. He never compared me to anybody else. He expected that what I could do was what I could do. He never said that because this guy over here could do something that I should be able to do it, too. He pushed me hard, but he was fair about it. That's probably why you see so much fire in me today, because he always wanted me to be the best that I could be."
By 1989, Stewart began the transition from go-karts to higher-horsepower, open-wheel machines. He raced Three-Quarter Midgets before turning his attention to the USAC ranks in 1991.
His first USAC championship in 1994 came to fruition thanks to five wins in 22 starts in the National Midget category. It was a prelude to Stewart's historic "Triple Crown" triumph in 1995.
That success led Stewart to earn a ride in the fledgling IndyCar Series. He made the most of it by winning the series championship in 1997, which sewed the seeds of Stewart's current success in NASCAR. A slate of 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing in 1998 prepared Stewart for his assault on the Cup ranks in 1999.
During that remarkable rookie season, where Stewart won three races en route to the rookie of the year title, he also competed in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The grueling trek, known as "Double Duty," saw Stewart compete in an Indy car at Indianapolis before flying to Concord, N.C., to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 that evening in his No. 20 Home Depot machine. He became the first driver to complete both races in the same day, finishing ninth and fourth, respectively. All told, Stewart drove a total of 1,090 miles.
Stewart repeated this feat in 2001, when he drove an Indy car for Chip Ganassi at Indy. He bettered his mark from 1999 by finishing on the lead lap in sixth before jetting off to Concord for the Coca-Cola 600. He improved that finish as well, coming home third in the 600-miler. When it was all said and done, Stewart completed all 1,100 miles - breaking his own record for most racing miles driven in one day.
In addition to winning races and championships behind the wheel of race cars, Stewart wins races and championships as a car owner. His team, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), fields two entries in the USAC Midget and Sprint car divisions and two entries in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. His USAC drivers are Levi Jones and Tracy Hines, and his World of Outlaw drivers are Kraig Kinser and two-time and reigning series champion Donny Schatz.
Since its formation in November 2000, TSR has earned eight championships - seven in USAC and one in the World of Outlaws.
Stewart is also a track owner. He owns Eldora Speedway, a half-mile dirt oval where he frequently raced as an up-and-coming USAC driver, and is part-owner of two other race tracks - Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway and Macon (Ill.) Speedway.
In addition to being devoted to racing, Stewart is also devoted to philanthropy, so much so that he formed his own charitable foundation in 2003. Known simply as the Tony Stewart Foundation, the 501(c)(3) organization's goal is to raise funds that will be primarily distributed to three specific groups - children, drivers and animals. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.1 million to assist charitable initiatives for more than 80 organizations throughout the United States. One of the prime beneficiaries of the Foundation is the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., which serves as a year-round camp for children ages seven to 15 with an assortment of life-threatening illnesses.
Stewart, single, still calls Columbus home, where he lives in the house he grew up in. He has a sister, Natalie, who assists with Tony Stewart Fan Club initiatives along with their mom, Pam Boas, who also is involved with his Foundation.
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