Tony Stewart names most significant changes in NASCAR since beginning of his career

With the 2024 NASCAR season over with, Tony Stewart is no longer a team owner in the sport, not Cup or the Xfinity Series. So, what were the major factors that pushed Smoke out of the sport?

Tony Stewart has been in and around NASCAR for more than two decades. Both as a driver and an owner. The three-time champ accomplished a ton in his career, too.

Stewart has so much going on. NHRA, fatherhood, owner of Eldora, and more. But NASCAR is a sport he loves. A sport he made a living off of.

Why would he leave? Well, there is one major reason why Smoke decided to tap out. Leadership.

“Leadership more than anything,” Tony Stewart said on Cars and Culture with Jason Stein. “I had the privilege of coming in when Bill France Jr. was there, and Bill was a very unique character and a very, very great leader for our sport. But I think the support system that he had, I think his number one support system was Mike Helton. And that is the one person beyond a shadow of a doubt that’s still left that I have the utmost respect for is Mike. Mike helped me grow as a person, Mike is one of three people that I credit being the three greatest people that have ever come into my life and helped shape me as who I am as a person today and as a man today. So, I have the utmost respect for Mike.

“There’s people like Bill France that we lost. We lost Jim Hunter and Jim was somebody in the media that absolutely had a great way of explaining to drivers, just like Mike Helton did, of why things are done the way they are and how it all fits in the big picture. There isn’t anybody there now that remotely comes close. You talk to people that are there now and you talk to officials that are there, and these are high officials in the company, and when you talk to them it’s like they’re just trying to keep their job. They’re worried that if they make the wrong decision they’re going to get in trouble for it and lose their job. That’s the feeling you get when you talk to them. The leadership is way different than it was.”

Tony Stewart has been through a lot in NASCAR. Leadership changes, rules changes, controversies, and more. During his time as a driver, Smoke brought tenacity and excitement to the track.

His comments echo a lot of others. NASCAR has had a lot of changes in leadership since 2000. There have been constant changes to the championship formula. Mike Helton is a figure that loomed large over the garage years ago, but he is no longer in that position.

Moving forward, NASCAR could use changes. There is no one saying that the sport is perfect. Being able to sell three charters on the market this year definitely helps make the decision to leave easier.