Stewart ready to retire? ‘It’s not about the racing anymore’
Quote selected text Published April 15th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Tony Stewart was so frustrated after Sunday’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway that he did more than hint at retirement.
“I’m ready to retire,” said Stewart, who spun twice and endured the wrath of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans during the race. “As soon as I get enough money saved to where I can retire, I’d be more than happy to step away.”
The reason for his frustration? For one, he was upset with Juan Pablo Montoya, who slipped in Turn 4 and bounced into Stewart, sending Stewart’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet sideways. Later, Stewart also spun off Turn 4 while trying to make up a lap on Kurt Busch, with Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch getting collected in the smoke off Stewart’s car. Earnhardt Jr. fans then booed Stewart for the remainder of the race. Stewart, who is good friends with Earnhardt Jr., was clearly bothered by the boos.
“It’s like nothing we can do is right,” Stewart said. “If we’d have been the one to do that to someone else, we would be slandered in the media for life for doing it. For some strange way, it will be my fault for some reason. It always is. “Look at all the Junior fans that are mad at me for. I didn’t even see what happened to Junior. I know I caused it, obviously. I’m trying to get one of my laps back right there. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. There’s no way in hell I would ever do anything to put Dale Jr. in jeopardy. “It’s disheartening when you have 180,000 people booing you every time you come around. That’s what makes this stuff not fun anymore. It’s not about the racing.”
Bookmark to:
- No retirement consideration for Stewart … for at least 2 1/2 years
- Stewart plans to stay with JGR for rest of his career
- Schumacher to Retire, According to Ecclestone/Lauda
- Rudd hopes to be back by Kansas
- DLP to re-sign with HOF Racing, Staubach to retire
Stewart Retire???…..Well don’t let the door hit ya on the way out!!!
well i guess he knows what its like to be Jeff Gordon or the Busch bros.
Stewart is one of the best drivers in Nascar today (besides JR.). It wasn’t his fault that Jr. wreaked, it was Busch’s fault for being so blind that he couldn’t see the smoke in front of him and use his brakes!! I’m a Jr. fan and i was mad at Busch for that wreak, not Stewart.
I’m a huge Nascar fan and have been for years. I see where Tony is coming from because nascar isn’t just about racing anymore. Dale Jr has so many fans that if anyone does anything to hurt his chance of getting the checkered flag they get a lot of slack for it. Now I am a huge Jr fan but racing is racing. Anything could happen out there. Stewart shouldn’t have so many boos after that and after all he’s not the one that hit Jr.
Junior doesn’t hold him responsible and he was kind enough to get in Kyle’s car and finish the race! Kudos to Junior. He’s one class act and that is why he has so many fans. I love Smoke…huge fan….but he has to know it’s not his fault and he has lots of fans too! Many of Junior’s fan are also his fans. Maybe they weren’t booing him maybe they were booing Kyle Busch, but wait a minute that wasn’t Kyle driving it was Junior! Smoke brings a lot on himself by often picking on rookies and younger drivers. He’s backed himself into situations before with Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards. The only thing is Juan is not afraid to race hard anymore than Ryan Newman is.
I think we all need to remember here, is that Jr. and Tony are good friends. I believe him when he says he wouldn’t do anything to him on purpose. I hope he changes his mind, Jr. is my favorite driver, and Tony is my second favorite. NASCAR wouldn’t be the same without him.
you all know why the busch bros and gordon get booed? dont forget everyone cept casey mears gets booed on hendricks cause they are a bunch of cheaters..thats 2 wins they have stolen form the 8 team in less than 15 races..and u all wonder why jr has only 17 career wins?? that right there is why…everytime hes dominate someone wrecks him…stupid..nascar is getting rediculous and i hope stewart dont retire cause hes one of the only drivers that would take out a hendrick car for wrecking him..STAY STEWART we all still love you
Devoted Dale Jr Fan for life!!
D-Dub
Im a big Jr fan and recently became a Stewart fan as well and in no way do I or any other JR fan be blaming Stewart for that wreck…unless they are as blind as Busch…as for Montoyas lil part in the wreck well seemed a lil intentional to me…and unfortunately hes had a few of these so called accidents in the past…hell he wrecked his own team mate in Mexico remember…anyways if anything I hope Stewart and Jr will not make this too big and Stewart keep racing for more years to come…So how bout Jr in a Toyota???
Hes write, i was pissed cause he had just spun out, i thought his car was wrecked, and thats why his car spun out, but his car wasnt wrecked, i wasnt looking just yet, and i looked up and jrs heaped up in the infield, and i was screamin, but i was more angry with Busch then Stewart, after i saw the replay Stewart deserved nothing of what he got from the fans, but people kept doing it, thats life though. The Busch bros deserve there boos every damn time, and there from every fan not just Jrs fans, i hate those guys, there ass’ at times, and can really make the sport look bad in certain times also. Busch should of slowed down, maybe jr should of went a little faster, but he wasnt that slow. And what the hell was Busch thinking, leaving the track early, what an ass, premadonna. Jr took over the car for him, it was great, shows his sportsmanship, and it shows how much Busch is an ass, cause its true. If your a driver you dont leave the track early, first of all, second your cars getting fixed you definetely dont leave, and your there for your team, plus your getting payed millions, and you leave. Busch is rediculous
Its kyle busch’s fault for running into Jr, Kyle busch is a really bad driver.
Stewart shouldn’t let a couple bad races get to him, but its his life and he can do what he wants.
Im not a fan of Stewart but he is a great guy off the track and a great driver on the track.
Good luck with whatever you do smoke.
-Chris
im a big jr fan but i think it was bushes fault to tony dont take it so hard bro i can understandhay i was just glad jeff what to be gordon didnt win
You ____ junior fans think it’s everybody elses fault for the car getting torn up! Well guess what your little golden boy got caught in a cloud of smoke, both Kyle Busch and “Jr” were blinded…nobodies fault just a fact of racing! Quit whining about who did what! I don’t understand why you put the blame on everybody that isn’t him, maybe if he was faster then he’d be less apt to getting crashed…
The funny thing about this article is that it misses one of the biggest points in Nascar life today… the vast majority of these drivers are friends or atleast good aquaintances with each other… Tony and Jr. are good buddies and they are totally fine with the situation… So of course that turns all of the balme and hate on Busch right? Well what you need to look at is how the race finished yesterday… Who drove the #5 car across the start/finish line at the end of the race…. NO, It wasn’t a busch brother.. It was Dale Jr. I’m not a Busch fan by far… I’m sure they can hear me booing them from my home here in NC no matter where they are racing but I realize and recognize that racing is about more than who makes the most money, who wins the most races or the most poles. For a lot of these drivers racing is about doing what they love. They realize the dangers of climbing in the car just like Dale Sr. did… they also realize that with 42 other cars on the track with them every lap there is a constant chance of something going wrong.
Wow - that wasn’t nice Nick. Reality is that this article wasn’t about Jr. and I think that most ppl were making the point that no one blames Tony for want happened to Jr.
You are right it is a fact of racing and another fact of racing is that NASCAR is boring anymore. The things Tony said were probably the most exciting things I have heard in awhile.
AND yes I am a Jr. Fan.
Just like Mark Martin said “Tony Stewart is a good driver.” And I totally agree with him.
If racing isn’t racing for Stewart anymore, he does need to retire. This dude is clearly burnt out and is letting everything get to him. As a former athlete, I know that when you have had enough of the sport you love, everything begins to be a reason to retire. These drivers have big time pressure, taking the fun out of the sport. NASCAR has changed dramatically and some fans have not or are having a hard time accustoming to the new NASCAR. I myself don’t make an effort anymore to make excuses so that I can sit at home and watch a race. For all of you Kyle Busch wanna-be’s who just complain and have negative comments about the sport…read Harvick’s comment to Kyle, or just get up and get out.
I hate to tell Stewart but they just didn’t start booing him during the Texas race. I know Edwards and Bowyer hasn’t been fans of his since last year among the rest of us. His big ego can’t take it. What he was gonna get out and complaint Montoya is a rookie and lesser of a driver than himself? He has drove like an idiot all the time, it’s just bite him in the butt this time. So long Tony, have fun playing with your hot wheels at home!
If Stewart Retired, I would probably quit watching it. Stewart is by no means my favorite driver (go #24!!!) He is just one of a few racers that make nascar interesting. Stewart is one of the best drivers on the nextel circuit today. It would be a sad day in nascar if stewart hung ‘em up at the end of 2007. personally I’d rather see Pablo go back to his formula 1 or where ever he came from.
oh and a side note to the person that said Jr is the best driver. Hunnie, no one can be called that until they have at least won a championship…
montoyas an idiot for trying to hand out data to pro drivers and the real race fans of nascar.Rules of driving these cars are is that NO,MATTER,where you are on the track if your car happens to push up or begin to go high into another car next to your side, YOU montoya need to let off if your car can’t maintain its coarse running the line your in.you dont know squat if you say stupid conclusions like the ones you stated to the public on why the wreck happened. I was embarrased for you and feel for your owner after watching it over and over and have decided to give you the phone # to Richard Petty”s Driving experience because it worked for me. how dare you try to give critical info about issues in NASCAR’s close contact racing when coming from driving a vehicle that has tremendous traction and open wheels,,you know what would happen if you hit another formula car next to you yet you say to us that you did it to tony to get more room!? Ask your boss CHIP to cut all your fenders off, then he can sit back and watch who he hired! shut up and slow down to the speed your crew chief set the car up to go through turns safely, and not use others as bumpers,
signed, TEXICO
Julia from arizona i agree with you 110% if a little spin and booing fans
is all it’s gonna take for stewart to retire it should have happened a
long time ago.
Harry Gant did it, not having fun quit. As for blaming some one for the 5 and 8 incident just try driving a race car for a second for saying Busch was and idiot of blind it is not like driving on the road. If you watched NASCAR before the whole no racing back to the yellow you would realize the best way to avoid wreck is to drive at it MOST of the time you will clear it JR slowed more than usual it was a racing deal nothing more.
I agree with those that say they will stop watching if Tony retires. Nascar wont be Nascar anymore if he retires. My life revolves around nascar [im in training to be on a pit crew]… and tony is my favorite driver..im obsessed, basically.. everything in my room is orange and has tony stewart on it..most of my clothes have tony on them..not just because hes a big name, but because he’s a REAL driver and he gets things DONE. he isn’t afraid to speak his mind and get things out when they are bothering him. People bash him and say he is whining and complaining, but really he is stating his mind and letting everyone know “okay, this is what i think, this is how i feel, so take note of it and do something about it because obviously it’s bothering me enough to say something about it.” I will stop watching nascar ENTIRELY if Tony retires. NOT JOKING. And with the dale jr fans.. just because Jr doesn’t win the race, it’s not the end of the world.. his dad’s fans overflowed to become 8 fans after sr.’s death.. so there are millions of them. I like jr..iv’e got nothing against him. He’s a good guy. but this thing with the fans booing the guy that wrecks jr.. get over it, it’s racing, ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. the way i think about it is; THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER RACE NEXT WEEKEND. there is always another chance. if tony doesnt win this week, he might win next week. there are 43 drivers out there competing to win the only first place spot. its NOT going to be the same person over and over winning every time.
mon-hoo-hoo need’s to go back to F1 in columbia. go home and race hard against your spanish buddies. DONT come into nascar racing hard like F1 and expect to get respect from the other drivers. ROOKIES NEED TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF NASCAR, NOT THE RULES OF THE SPORT THEY CAME FROM.
tony, you’r amazing. nascar wouldn’t be the same without you, and neither would i. your my hero and you’ve inspired me to come out on top and be a winner.
i love tony stewart #20 i am a big fan of tonys and i hope you do not retire if you do i will not watch nascar no more you are the best driver in nascar today i have everthing orange in my house tony you are the best montoua grow up and take the blame for what you did to tony. and jr ……………A BIG FAN OF #20
I’ve also came to the conclusion that montoya’s spotter and crew cannot understand a word he says over the radio so why would he understand them. You can’t race when when you cant speak or hear properly, especialy when your spotter is telling you that theres an bright orange thing next to you ! idiot!!!
1st off I was pissed at Tony ( and hes my 2nd favorite driver) for spinning out the same place he previously have been almost losing it before. Montoyas wreck was a racing deal ( I race too) Kyle Busch on the other hand thinks hes gods gift to the world and he should be fined from Nascar for trying to go through a wreck at 145 MPH on those long str8s!! He also should be NOT allowed to race the next race for leaving his team hang because he felt like such an ASS for being so stupid and plowing in the back of someone because he wasnt paying attention. ( What Hendrick should do) What if the car he hit (JR) was sitting broadside and moron Busch hit him in the drivers door door at 145? A catastrophy would be the word. He had plenty of time to get out of the gas. It was uncalled for and very unprofessional!! Grow up Kyle!! Stop cryning like a little baby when things go wrong. Maybe JR getting in your car is something that is being talked about behind closed doors without you knowing. Hendrick will not tolerate your immaturity for sure. Junior in the Kellog car? HMMM That would be GRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!!
Brandon you hit that right on the head. If Gordon and the Busch’s can handle the boo’s why can’t big, bad, tough Stewart.
I agree with everyone’s post that Nascar would not be the same without Smoke. But hey if he leaves the IRL could sure use some good drivers! Junior driving for HMS…..hmm….interesting. Kyle was at fault but we haven’t even heard anything from him. I hope we hear a very contrite and mature response.
Tony needs to retire to his playpin and get his paifier cry baby cry.
Smoke grow up just because you have had some bad racing luck your ready to quit. Thats Racing as they say. Go get job if you cant hack being a drivder. I cant believe that your team mate so much younger than you is a cry baby he doesnt get mad or cuz someone out. Denny is much more of a man. He doesnt balame everyonelse for racing bad luck he takes with a grsin of salt and holds his head high and trys to do better next week. If you dont win you cry learn to be a man and take it like a man.
well nick dear let me say one thing as being a jr fan i also like tony and no like i said in mu stament earlyer is my
sorry is as long as goron did not win who cared and i am a jr fan but burton did do great.agr
Burton did do a great job. I think he may be the champ this year. He’s mature, uses his head, doesn’t use his stuff up, doesn’t wreck people to win (Kyle Busch at Bristol) and is in top notch RCR equipment. I for one would be very happy if Burton is the 2007 champ.
it could happen hes good but ofcourse im hopeing jr does,,,just not u no who lol
Mark, i disagree with your ” montoya was a race thing ” and also, where do you race at ,, your local crash’m up derby. It could of been jeff ,sterlin,matt,mark,or bobby, and they all would have apologized because they would have said that they should have not stayed in the throttle knowing there car couldn’t run the line down low thus taking out someone up high because they thought they had the grip. If montoya was right about what he did, then he can drive that way on his qualifying lap when no one else is out there and just eat that wall with a serving of fried bananas, and he has no one to blame but himself,,” here’s your sign”
I love it when people trash Tony Stewart or say that they are glad he’s contemplating retirement, it’s probably because they want their driver to win and the only way to do so is if Tony leaves! Hate all you want! He may not be the best stock car driver in NASCAR but he is hands down the best “RACE CAR DRIVER” in NASCAR! And nobody can take that away! So continue to hate on him and wish his departure, He’s been winning races long before he came over to NASCAR and he’ll continue to do so after! Keep up the good work Tony! Your fans will follow you wherever you go!
well i dont know what it is, but racing in general is not even close
to what is was a few years ago, i think some of the probs. are the rules
one thing for sure is BIG MONEY, has hurt all of sports ,,jmo BILL
I don’t get it! The Junior fans should be upset with that hot head PUNK Kyle Busch! The 5 should have tried harder to slow up sooner! And I don’t think Tony Stewart did anything wrong besides race a little too hard for a spot he had no chance of gaining… Either way, I am NOT a huge 20 fan, BUT… He is one of the BEST DRIVERS on the circuit!
GO 29! WFO!
Nick, were you even watching the race??? JR was leading and the fastest and he had to slow down so he didnt hit STEWART when he spun. Would you just like him to head on hit STEWART in the side and hurt them both. THINK about youre statement before you write it!!!
STEWART R9OCKS
Steven Landers your local elementary school called and asked me to tell you to pay attention during Mrs. Smith’s English and spelling courses.
wah!!! wah!!! wah!!! they booed me!!
Whine! Whine! Whine!
Steve your comment in our racing world, makes you a Grandstand Racer you have no clue what happened, Tony roughed up montoya 3 times prior and if you have TV where you are you would have heard Stewarts Spotter telling him to settle down and keep the car in one peice or pull it in and get out, your driving like a rookie” Like I said Grandstand Racer. Steve Thats what you are lets hear a reply to that 1. Im not a Montoya fan but how do you explain Nemechek, The wall both times and the spin on his own” I like Stewart but lets not make excuses for driving on a rampage.
somebody must be able to handle boo’s better then, maybe is it they are used to getting booed alot?
drivers eat up the boos look at The Real Man The Late GREAT Dale Earnhardt. He Loved It!! Its funy when I read these comments most of them are from The New Generation NASCAR fans, I could probably tell you the age of each commentor that posted here. I run dirt cars and have forever longer than half of the people on this post. Racing is Racing. Booing is Booing but driving like a maniac like Kyle Busch does week in and week out is just plain stupid and its going to cost him. Lets just hope no matter how much we all dislike him and his ways he doesnt lose his life or take someone elses. Lets get off this subject and be happy we where able to enjoy this race and think about all of the familys in VA TECH that lost friends and family due to a sensless rampage over a girl killing 33 kids!!
i am not and i repeat NOT a “smoke” fan but nevertheless he is one hell of a racecar driver [saving 2 spins at texas] and i personally think he is just upset and WILL be back next year
as for juan pablo!!!! GO TO ARCA AND LEARN HOW TO DRIVE STOCK CARS
wait!! they are even better than him
ok…. Dale Jr cannot be classed as one of the best drivers out there ( not saying he isn’t talented, but he isn’t close to the best). It was just a racing deal, Tony was drving frustrated, and Dale and Kyle just got caught up in the smoke. Neither of them knew what was on the other side of the smoke, Jr slowed up because he had a better sight of what happened, Kyle figured if he moved up he would be clear. It was just racing
I never get mad at a driver until I know for sure what happened. Stewart and Jr. ar buds and Jr are buds and I know that Stewart would never try to wreck Jr. The only time I would get mad at a driver is if they purposly tried to wreck someone. But accidents happen I’m not mad at Stewart or Busch. I’m a die-hard Jr fan but I hate it when other fans act like they did that race. It makes all us 8 fans look like a** holes! It was really immatre. I love it when Jr wins but what I really want is for the best driver out there to win. Sure I get frustrated when Jr wrecks, but I don’t go looking for someone to blame. Stewart’s a great driver and I hope he stays with nascar.
oh yeah, Jr wasn’t leading when rhe wreck happened, he was in 2nd or 3rd, that was after the stops and Kurt Busch was leading
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. “A,” stewart is a better driver than dale jr. will ever be. nice try, though. ohhh, i’m still laughing.
Busch is just an idiot….its as simple as that. I don’t think stewart should retire just because of buschs stupidity. Jr. was just being smart slowing down trying not to damage his car that probably could’ve won the race…..busch ruined that, and he left his team hangin’…Jr. was nice enough to finish his job. Some driver Busch is….pfff.
Busch sucks but, what would Dale Sr say.Simple that’s racing. Oh and Nick B you’re an idiot.
1st off…I think Nick B needs to be permanently banned from making comments. He has nothing good to say and always angers many people.
2nd…Tony is just alittle frustrated with his car, his driving, and his inability to keep it going in the right direction. Give him a week away and he will get his smoke back.
As for Dale Jr….man I sure hated seeing that wreck…but racing sucks sometimes and some just can’t win for losing. But Jr will be back and he will be better. Everyone just needs a breather! And to realize…there are alot of things worse in the world then Smoke wrecking his car….Like maybe the Virginia Tech Shootings…be glad we are all able to comment.
Well said Cybal i agree with you not everyday is good everyone. when you have
have a good day dont get to high, lik wise on a bad day dont get to low.
Smoke hang in there and work your way thru it all. good luck to all
your doing what most of us only dream of doing. Bill
I am sure there are many drivers that would love NOT to have to DEAL with Smoke. Smoke the boos are because as someone pointed out….so Dale Sr.
I think NASCAR is no longer about racing…I agree with Tony on that 100% it has turned into an advertising money hungry monster. It all started with closing the tracks here in NC where the grassroots are as they went in search of greener pastures in the west. I see more commercials than the actual race. Wanna see real racing hit your local race track..as for the whole incidents I think Juan is the main cause for half the chaos at the tracks lately but everyone praises him because of his minority instead of his lack of talent in this series..if he were a white male they would barely mention his existence at the race during commentating. Kyle Busch obviously was driving over his head again.. you would think if Dale saw him spin that someone two car links or more behind would have thought to stop but hey this is a Hendrick driver we are talking about and those cheaters have their own set of rules.
Amen Roxy!!!!!! Especially the part about the Hendrick cheaters and certain drivers being over their head. They are both young however and hopefully will learn. I wish they’d not gone to some of the newer cookie cutter venues myself! Two race at Darlington a year and bring back the Rock!
Ruthie 2007-04-18- I am a hugh Tony Stewart fan .I also like JR. If Tony is not is not in Nascar i will not watch it.But i will allways love Tony for what ever he does.I will tell you how big of fan i am .I have my Jeep orange i have everthing of Tonys on it.When i see anything of TONY i buy it.My husband and I are going to build a Tony Stewart house soon. Tony did not do anything wrong Sunday .If you want to blane and Boo someone it should be Montoya and Busch.I think Tonys driving was great.Tony is the BEST DRIVER EVER. Good TONY we back you all the way.WE hope you stay. YOUR #1 FAN FOR LIFE
part of all the probs with nascar is no one gets a edge anymore
some times it make good racing but often it gets the drivers to do
what they cant do just yet. for me i dont like follow the leader. that what nascar has created with the rules. i have said for 3 or 4 years the rules would
come back to bite them. its not just nascar, look at indy, i wont even go there now because of the buying of rides, it was better when they earned there ride.
it doesnt seem to be getting any better in my opioun EGO,S and big
money have ALL BUT KILLED THE SPORT. PETTY FIREBALL AND THE ALABAMA GANG
WAS FAR BETTER, THAT IS HOW I FEEL. BILL
I am a smoke fan and a jr fan. I know that Tony once said he didnt want his fans booing anyone else. So why would he want to be booed at. All he was doing was fighting to get a lap back. If we want to boo lets boo the the spoiled fans who expect every lap to be led by one driver. I want Tony to win but if he dominated every lap of every race, I would get bored. NASCAR has the best drivers in the world bunched together every week denting fenders and bruising Egos! I think a standing ovation should be given to every driver woh gets out there and pushes his car to its absolute limit, even if he finishes 43rd. I admit that I said bad things about juan pablo after his brush with Tony, but I think back on other rookie drivers who made mistakes and learned from them. Just as I cant expect Tony to give up easily, I cant expect any less of any other driver. So in closing Racing wouldnt be what it is today without big wrecks, and huge Egos. Smoke forget the boo’s I’m still cheering!
i have to agree totally with smoke fan you are so right…i can not beleave people can be such babys and boo these drivers they put there lives each day are weekend in there car to know there could be a chance of neverrrrrrrrrrr getting out i give high 5s to all even goron….the BIG QUESTION HERE IS the people who boo.s i wounder if they would put there lives in a spot like that with family…they all are great no metter what…and yes i am a big jr fan but its funner to do the compation on each one then boo them…come on guys…tony if your reading this dont give up your great im not mad at cha