by Beth Szczepanski

Created on: August 01, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart was bitten by the racing bug early in life, participating in his first go-kart race at the age of 7 and winning a World Karting Association championship in 1987 at the age of 16. Arguably the racing world's most versatile driver, Stewart has won championships in the go-kart circuit, the Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series, all three divisions of the United States Auto Club (USAC) championship series (Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown) and in NASCAR. Today, Stewart continues to compete in NASCAR and USAC races, acts as an owner-operator for the Tony Stewart Racing, and owns the Eldora Speedway. At the same time, Stewart gains a lot of attention for both his fiery temper and his generous philanthropy.

Stewart's NASCAR career started out with a bang; he finished in the top 10 in 21 races and easily won the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Award. Since then, he has found further success on the NASCAR circuit, finishing in the top 10 in 199 of the 336 races in which he has competed. He has won a total of 32 NASCAR races since joining the circuit in 1999.

For ten years, Stewart has driven the striking orange car number 20, sponsored by Home Depot. In 2009, though, he will change teams, sponsors, pit crew and car number to join Haas CNC Racing. Stewart has taken over half ownership of his new team, which will be renamed Stewart-Haas Racing.

Stewart's nickname "Smoke" reflects the wild side of his personality. NASCAR.com quotes the driver that, "I wasn't very good about not slipping the right-rear tire, initially. So it started as 'Smoker,' then it got shortened to 'Smoke.' Then when I got in the Indy Racing League it was 'Smoke' because one of the guys on the crew who was my roommate, and knew the nickname, carried it over to the IndyCar team. But then when I started blowing engines, 'Smoke' really stuck. I've had it ever since." As demonstrated by this nickname, Stewart certainly hasn't hesitated to sacrifice tires and engines in his quest for wins!

Stewart is not only a bit reckless behind the wheel, but also quick to lose his temper. During the Daytona 500 in 2006, Stewart chased driver Matt Kenseth halfway across the track and into the grass after the two bumped into each other. During a charity race for autism in 2007, Stewart smashed Kurt Busch's car into the wall when Busch tried to pass on the inside. Afterwards, the two had another confrontation on pit road, and one of Stewart's crewmen had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit.

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