[h=2]NASCAR: Stewart - My career's reached 'halftime'[/h] Friday, 18 November 2016


RACER Staff / Image by Getty Images for NASCAR

As Tony Stewart goes through his final race weekend at Homestead, the three-time Sprint Cup champion said he hadn't had time to think about his immense legacy. An IndyCar championship. USAC's Triple Crown. An IROC title. The first – and only – driver to win championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars. Wins at the Brickyard, Chili Bowl and seven victories in the season-opening Xfinity race at Daytona. Not on his mind.
But what he's most proud of? That's an easy question.


"I haven't [thought about legacy]. Normally legacy means you're old," he joked. "It's just been fun. It's been a fun 18 years. Not every part of it has been fun and I've made your guys' life hell at certain points during my 18-year run here, but the thing I think at the end of it I've always said what was on my mind whether it was popular or unpopular. I always fought for what I believed in, whether it was safety for other drivers or etiquette that was going on on the racetrack. At the end of the day I can sleep all right knowing that that's why I did it. It wasn't because I was trying to be a jerk. I just always spoke my mind and fought for what I believe in.
"The great thing is I'm not really going anywhere, and in the big picture, what's changing in my big picture, it's not really a huge change because 90 percent of the stuff that I'm already doing I'm still going to continue to do. It's a big part in the racing word, it's a big change, but for me it's not going to be that big of a change.
"I just look at it like it's halftime of a ball game. This is the end of the first half, and then the next season we start the second half, and it's going to be just as much fun if not more fun than this first half was. I'm excited about finishing this chapter, but I'm really excited about starting the next chapter next year."
Unfortunately for Stewart, perhaps the most touching moment of his final Cup weekend was too literal.
"Somebody reached out ... and stole my cell phone out of my pocket," he said. " That's been a hell of a start to the weekend to get your phone stolen. That was probably the biggest thing that was disappointing last night when I realized my phone was stolen was the fact that I was in the process of answering text messages from people. I got a flood of text messages yesterday and I think I'm gonna have a phone by tomorrow so I'm sure when I turn it on it's going to be absolutely crazy.
"It's been neat. People I haven't talked to for a long time, people that are friends that I haven't seen or heard from for a long time reached out this week, and it's been pretty cool."
So will he ever step in a Sprint Cup car again? He said he's been taught a lesson by Jeff Gordon, who was asked to fill in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wound up "roped into running half the season."
"No, I'm good. This is it," he said. "This is the last one."