Hoosier hero Tony Stewart received more accolades and one-of-a-kind awards for winning the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard during a public ceremony and media event July 5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

Stewart, a native and resident of nearby Columbus, Ind., accepted his race winner’s ring from IMS President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood. Stewart will try to earn a repeat victory in the 13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Two-time NASCAR champion Stewart also helped unveil a piece of artwork by noted motorsports artist Sam Bass that Bass has donated to the Hall of Fame Museum.

The artwork on display at the museum is a one-of-a-kind color reproduction of an original painting that The Home Depot commissioned Bass to create for Stewart. The art commemorates post-race events from Stewart’s long-sought, emotional victory at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard: Stewart kissing the famous “Yard of Bricks,” climbing the Speedway’s catch fence, his No. 20 The Home Depot Chevrolet crossing the finish line and a headshot of Stewart.

Stewart also officially opened an exhibit at the Hall of Fame Museum featuring five cars, scheduled to be on display until June 2007, which played a significant role in Stewart’s rise from Indiana short-track racer to motorsports superstar.

“It’s just a huge honor,” Stewart said. “To have visited that museum so many times and seen so many pieces of history, and to have that exhibit dedicated to me is an honor. I don’t know how else to put it.

“There have been a lot of winners (at IMS), and they’ve never had an exhibit like this, so it basically makes me speechless. It’s cool to see all these cars and see them all together again for the first time in a long time. It brings back a lot of cool memories of good times in my career. To see those cars sitting next to the cars of A.J. Foyt and so many other great winners is incredible.”

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