Tony Stewart.
Sprint Cup, Nextel Cup and Winston Cup champion. He holds an IndyCar championship. He holds Midget and Sprint car championships. He owns his own racing team. He owns race tracks. He has had his share of run-ins with NASCAR, media and other drivers.
Beyond any of that, he is a likeable guy. His composure at Daytona following the Nationwide race was nothing less than humble and genuinely concerned for the fans involved in the front stretch mayhem.
Even at Bristol, where an early race tire and crowded track put his #14 into the wall, he kept cool and drove what he could with no chance to get back up front.
Yes… He has been labeled as moody and cantankerous but to meet and speak with him close in and one on one he is quite the fellow. A sense of humor which borders on the mischievous, self-deprecating one liners and a genuine smile with a glint in his eye like he knows something you don’t characterize the man when out of the racing suit. (more…)