Years of racing that began on local dirt tracks leading to epic competition around the nation in iconic speedway venues, including Indianapolis, Daytona and Talladega, has brought Columbus’ own Tony Stewart to the highest honor NASCAR can bestow — a seat in the Hall of Fame.
He joins racing legends Richard Petty, Indiana’s Jeff Gordon and this year’s NASCAR class, which was announced late Wednesday afternoon, in the Hall of Fame.
“I didn’t have the same confidence (about getting in) a lot of people around me had,” Stewart said by phone. “I figured at some point, we would end up in the Hall, but you don’t sit there and the first time you’re nominated, expect to be inducted. It was a surprise to me. It’s a pretty huge day.”
An impressive resume
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A three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and winner of 49 Cup races during an 18-year career, Stewart won 15 poles, had 187 top-five and 308 top-10 finishes, and led 12,815 laps in 618 career starts.
Following ultra-successful stints in go-karts, midgets, sprint cars and Indy cars, Stewart began racing full-time on the NASCAR circuit in 1999 for car owner Joe Gibbs, who also was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. He became the first rookie in Cup Series history to win three races, and was named Rookie of the Year.
Also joining Stewart in the Hall of Fame class is former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bobby Labonte, the 2000 Cup Series champion, along with Buddy Baker and Waddell Wilson.
“One of the things I’m most excited about is I’m going in with four guys that have been a part of my career,” Stewart said. “Buddy Baker came to the Buck Baker Driving School and saw me race. My first team I signed with was Ranier-Walsh Racing, and Waddell was the competition director. Bobby pushed to get me added to his team as a teammate with Joe Gibbs Racing. The four guys I’m going in with were there at the beginning of my NASCAR career.”
The five inductees were determined by votes cast by a panel that includes representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors recognized industry leaders, a fan vote conducted by nascar.com and reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano.
Stewart was the leading vote-getter among the 20 nominations. He received 88 percent of the vote.
Getting started
When Stewart was 7, his father Nelson borrowed a go-kart for him to begin racing. The next year, Tony won a race at Westport.
The Stewarts would travel as far away as Iowa, Minnesota, New York and Florida to compete during Tony’s formative years.
“We had a lot of fun,” Nelson Stewart said. “We spent a lot of hours and a lot of miles. It’s been a real journey, but it’s been a very rewarding journey for all of us. Everybody is so proud of him.”
Tony’s mother Pam Boas credited Gibbs and Labonte with helping develop her son.
“It’s been a long hard road, and I think he deserves it,” Pam said. “He’s had a lot of great people like Joe Gibbs and Bobby Labonte — the two of them together had a big impact on him when he first started in NASCAR. So to have the two of them together go in, it is so exciting. We know he didn’t get there by himself. He had a lot of great people mentoring him and providing great vehicles for him and great advice.
In 2002, Stewart broke through with his first Cup Series championship. He won three Cup Series points races that season.
The second Cup Series title for Stewart came in 2005. He won five points races that year, including the Brickyard 400.
Stewart’s third Cup Series championship came in dramatic fashion in 2011. All five of his victories came during the 10-race Chase for the Championship, including the finale at Homestead-Miami. He tied Carl Edwards with 2,403 points, but claimed the title based on his five wins to only one for Edwards.
In the midst of his driving success, Stewart became a driver/owner in the NASCAR Cup Series with Gene Haas in 2008. Since debuting in 2009, Stewart-Haas Racing has won 51 Cup series races and two Cup series championships, with Stewart in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2014.
“I think (making the Hall of Fame) is super,” Nelson Stewart said. “It’s just one of those things that you don’t really think about, and then when they nominate him, it’s so surreal. There’s no doubt in my mind he deserves it. It’s exciting. I’m just so proud of him. To get voted in the first time around is something special, too.”
Tony Stewart’s mother agreed.
“We, of course, are very excited for him,” Boas said. “We’re very happy for him. He couldn’t have done this without his heavenly father. God is the one that guides the path and knows Tony was worthy of being placed on this path in racing because his daddy and I definitely could not have done this on our own.”
Local reaction
Locals who have been associated with Stewart over the years were happy to see him selected.
Bob Franke, who owns the downtown Dairy Queen, gave Stewart his first sponsorship money during his go-kart days nearly 40 years ago.
“That’s super,” Franke said after learning of Stewart’s selection. “It’s a great deal. I think he’s very deserving. I’m really tickled. I’m happy for him. He’s still so involved in racing. It’s in his blood, I think.”
Stewart began driving midgets for Keith Kunz Motorsoports in 1993 and continued that full-time through 1995. Even after moving up to racing’s biggest circuits, he still raced midgets for Kunz and won the Chili Bowl in 2002.
“(Making the Hall of Fame is) one of the probably greatest honors that could ever come,” Kunz said. “It’s pretty cool, Tony being from right here in Columbus. He’s one of the greatest racers ever.”
Jason Setser, who is three years younger than Stewart, got to know him while growing up racing at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds. Setser has raced three-quarter midgets for Stewart and, along with Bo Bender, built him a TQ midget in 2017.
“That’s awesome,” Setser said of Stewart’s selection. “He definitely deserves it. I knew it was coming. He’s one of the best race car drivers I’ve ever seen.”
The Class of 2020 Induction Weekend will be Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, with the official induction ceremony set for Jan. 31. Tickets begin at $75 and will go on sale July 6.
Stewart said his lifelong dream was to drive a race car, not to make the Hall of Fame.
“There’s a lot of great moments … being able to win at the Brickyard (twice), being able to win three championships,” Stewart said. “Now as a car owner, to be inducted into the Hall, it’s like another big race win or championship. When it all starts slowing down, it’s moments like this, it’s nice to be able to look back on your career and realize how you got to this point.”
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Those elected Wednesday to the 2020 Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame:
Tony Stewart: three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, 2005, 2011)
Joe Gibbs: winner of nine championships combined as a car owner in the Cup Series and XFINITY Series
Bobby Labonte: won season championships in both the Cup Series (2000) and XFINITY series
Buddy Baker: won 19 times in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500
Waddell Wilson: won three NASCAR Cup Series championships as an engine builder
Other award
Edsel Ford II, member of the board of directors for Ford Motor Co. and a longtime NASCAR supporter, received the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
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