Nelson Stewart will race at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds Tuesday night for the first time in more than a decade.
But the 80-year-old Stewart knows he won’t be the main attraction for the King of the UMRA Three-Quarter Midget race. That honor will be reserved for his son Tony.
Tony Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and Columbus native, plans to compete at the fairgrounds for the second consecutive year. This time, he will be joined by his father for the Tony Stewart Foundation event.
“If I screw up in front of the people I know, it will give them the opportunity to laugh at me,” Nelson Stewart said. “But the people are going to be there to see Tony, not me, so they won’t be watching me. I’m just there to have fun.”
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While Tony Stewart, 47, has been busy with his Stewart-Haas Racing team, competing in dirt-track races and administering his other business interests, Nelson is keeping pretty occupied himself. Two years ago, Nelson ran 48 races in 10 states two years ago, mostly on the Legends racing circuit.
Nelson Stewart estimates he did about 25 races last year. He’s done five Legends races in Texas this season.
“For an 80-year-old man, I’m just happy to be out there. “Nowadays when you only have yourself to worry about, you can do a lot of things you couldn’t do back in the day. When I had a family, you had to support the family. Now, I have no responsibilities and work part-time (for Tony). I want to go racing, so that’s what I’m doing now.”
Nelson and Tony had a chance to race against each other June 28 at the Rush County Fair in Rushville. Tony started 12th and finished third, while Nelson started 18th and finished 14th.
Nelson Stewart said in all his years of racing, he’s had only one broken bone, and that was a shoulder blade after a rollover in a TQ midget race in Rushville about 12 years ago. He took about four or five weeks off and was then back behind the wheel.
“I’m blessed,” he said. “Physically, I’m in pretty good shape and good health. My reflexes are still good. I don’t notice that much difference (from years ago).”
Nelson Stewart currently is tied for seventh in the King of the UMRA TQ Midget point standings with 185. Matt Hedrick or Rushville leads a close race with 269, three points ahead of Tate Martz of Rushville and seven ahead of Jason Goff of Fortville.
Tony Stewart, who is tied for 29th with 31 points from his one series event, will be driving his new car that was built by friends Jason Setser and Ron Combs. Last year, Tony Stewart drove Setser’s car to victory.
Fair board racing director Troy Foist said Tony Stewart also plans to help prepare the track during the day on Tuesday. Pits will open at 4 p.m., with hot laps starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by qualifications and the feature.
No other formal event involving Tony Stewart has been planned for the fair, but Nelson said that Tony likely would be in attendance today.
Foist said the grandstands hold about 2,500 people and were just about full for last year’s race. He is hoping for full house on Tuesday.
Terry Eaglin, promoter and owner of the King of the UMRA TQ midget series, said 29 cars competed at Rushville, and he is expecting that many at Columbus. He said numbers had taken a dip, but now, several drivers who were racing Honda 750 motors that date back to 1970s, have upgraded to Kawasaki and Suzuki motors.
“We’re going through a motor transition,” Eaglin said. “Our numbers will build back up. It’s growing really well again. Everybody is happy with the way we’re headed. We’re moving in the right direction.”
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What: King of the UMRA TQ Midget race
When: Tuesday; 4 p.m. (pits open), 6:30 p.m. (hot laps), 7 p.m. (qualifications), 8 p.m. (feature)
Where: Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6 to 17 years old, free for 5 and under (parking is $5 per car)
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