Tony Stewart has added another racing discipline to his already impressive resume. He\u2019s now an NHRA driver, piloting a Top Fuel Dragster. And to say the least, Stewart is having a ball.<\/p>\n
Sure, it\u2019s an 11,000-horsepower car in Drag Race, but for Stewart, it\u2019s more than that. And according to Smoke, it\u2019s something that\u2019s missing in most forms of motorsports, be it NASCAR<\/a>, IndyCar, or Sprint Car. He realised this difference recently, after his nasty crash at Maple Grove Raceway.<\/p>\n What Difference Did Tony Stewart Highlight Between Top Fuel and Other Motorsports?<\/p>\n Well, piloting an 11,000 HP dragster was unlike anything Stewart had previously driven. However, he was quick at getting the hang of it. 2024 was his debut season, and he ended up as Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n Stewart loves NHRA even more so after his recent crash at Maple Grove<\/a>. He was up against Doug Kalitta in round two of the event. Kalitta, a seasoned veteran, took the race win, but in doing so, his car lost its front left wheel, causing it to get into Stewart\u2019s lane and crash into his car.<\/p>\n It was scary as Smoke got sideways and into the outside wall, having no memory of what had just unfolded. While he was getting back to his senses, he heard Kalitta\u2019s voice asking if he was okay. Tony had his arm around Kalitta\u2019s shoulder, doing the same. What occurred moments ago was forgotten.<\/p>\n This kind of camaraderie is rare in racing, mainly because of how competitive things get, and since drivers are always on an adrenaline high.<\/p>\n Speaking to NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick on the \u201cHappy Hour\u201d Podcast, Stewart said,<\/a> \u201cI think the great thing that I have learned and enjoy about drag racing is that we don\u2019t have that driver rivalry like what we had in NASCAR and IndyCar and sprint cars and other forms of motorsports because you\u2019re literally running in your lane.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cSo, when something like that happens, somebody has a problem. Something happened. But the second words out of my mouth when they got to me were, \u2018Is Doug okay?\u2019 And Doug, all he cared about was, \u2018Was I okay?’\u201d<\/p>\n While it would be unfair to say this kind of camaraderie is not in NASCAR, it is rare. At Richmond, 23XI Racing\u2019s Bubba Wallace had a loose tire leaving his pit box, but he got it tightened up ahead at the Joe Gibbs Racing pit box of Chase Briscoe. Generally, especially in terms of wrecks, things tend to get heated<\/a>.<\/p>\n But thanks to the format of a drag race, this is not the case here. Both drivers have dedicated lanes, and it boils down to the fastest driver winning the race. So when something like Maple Grove happens, it\u2019s usually no one\u2019s fault, and it\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n