Tony Stewart felt his time had come.
Looking back on it, he can’t pinpoint the day it hit him. Or exactly what the deciding factor was. But early this season, Stewart began questioning his priorities and got the feeling stepping away was the right thing for him. Wednesday, he made it official by announcing his Sprint Cup Series retirement following the 2016 season.
And it was a jovial 44-year-old Stewart who appeared before the media for nearly an hour. He cracked jokes, smiled, laughed and was quick with the one-liners. At times, he was emphatic about his answers, such as no to TV and no to running the Indianapolis 500.
Simply put, it was the appearance of the Stewart many are quick to describe when talking about the driver who kicked NASCAR’s door down in 1999, grabbed three championships, and has 48 wins on his resume. No, Stewart wasn’t there to offer a tearful goodbye, although he admits the decision has brought days of both sadness and eagerness for what is next.
There was no hint, however, of him second-guessing this life-changing decision. In fact, Stewart adamantly wanted it known he will be going out on his terms.
“This was 100 percent my decision. There’s not one factor to this other than just I felt like it was the right time. Everything in racing is timing, and the opportunity get somebody like Clint Bowyer, that’s when you know you seize the opportunity,” Stewart said, referencing the driver who will succeed him in the No. 14.
“Everything happens for a reason. You look at my career you look at all the different entities that we have – nothing was ever part of a master plan. It all just came about with opportunities coming at the right time, and I think this was one of those as well. I felt like it was the right time for me to make a change and have the perfect opportunity to get the perfect driver.”
Stewart’s decision to step away will come after 18 full seasons at NASCAR’s highest level. To be honest, he wanted to walk away following this year. Because there have been some days, he admitted, he was ready to throw his hands up and walk away.
That was the emotion talking, though. When he took a step back and watched as another champion, Jeff Gordon, handles his last season the lasting image Stewart wanted to leave clicked.
One last ride, he told himself. Do it for the fans and give them one last chance. They deserve to know when it will all be over.
“I’ve seen and been able to follow what Jeff (Gordon) has done this year and seen how much it’s meant to the fans to watch him race and have the knowledge of knowing that it’s their last year to watch him,” Stewart said. “That’s important to me to be able to do this for the fans that have stuck with us through thick and thin and supported us. It’s as important for me to do this for them as it is for what I’m doing for my future. That’s why we added the year to it.”
Regardless of what the public’s perception might be, Stewart still has fun racing. Granted, there have been some distractions and challenges in recent years, but hanging up the helmet, at least in Cup as he plans on pursuing other racing opportunities, is not based on performance, or lack thereof.
Stewart has not won since midway through the 2013 season, and he hasn’t been in the Chase since 2012. The decision also has zero percent, in Stewart words, to do with breaking his leg two years ago in a sprint car or the tragic accident in New York last season.
By retiring, he’s simply doing, as Tony Stewart has always been prone to do, what he wants. But also in typical Stewart fashion, there’s something he won’t be doing.
Although he’s enjoyed watching Gordon bask in the accolades bestowed upon him week after week, please, no such affair for him in 2016. While he said it with a smile, after Wednesday Stewart is serious about not wanting to make weekly appearances in the media center to talk about his future. He also believes gifts can be better served elsewhere.
“I’m not really that kind of guy. I’m content to go race and be around the racing community and the racing family and be around the fans. They can just send me a note from the track president and say thank you,” he said. “That will be sufficient for me. I think it’s been fitting for Jeff. I don’t think I’m worthy of that kind of admiration because I think Jeff’s really done so much for the sport that nobody will ever be able to do again.
“Everything that Jeff’s got has been very fitting, and I think that kind of celebration’s reserved for somebody like Jeff.”
It’s guaranteed that Stewart will be honored and remembered, though. Plus, he knows his career will mean different things to different people, so he says to think of him in whatever way seems fit.
The fact is NASCAR, in back-to-back years, is losing another sure to be first-ballot Hall of Famer. So as he sat until there were no more questions to be asked, Stewart revealed he has no regrets about his life or storied career.
Just as he won’t regret knowing when it was time to bring it to a close.
“I think everything that’s happened in my life has happened for a reason,” Stewart said. “I think there’s things I would have liked to have skipped in my life and things not happen, but everything in the big picture happened for a reason and is a part of something that is a lot bigger than what we are in this room.”