| Tony Stewart was born in Columbus, Indiana on May | | | | USAC championship in 1994 which was a preview of |
| 20th 1971. This 5'ft 9" fan of Michael Jordan has | | | | bigger and better things Tony would eventually |
| always had a competitive streak in him ever since | | | | achieve. In 1995, USAC history was made when |
| catching the racing bug at age 7 with the | | | | Stewart won the Triple Crown - The National Midget, |
| encouragement from his father. Nelson Stewart | | | | Sprint and Silver Crown respectively. No one has ever |
| made sure his son had a thirst for the first position in | | | | been able to do that prior to Stewart's achievement. |
| every race. Although there was not a lot of pressure | | | | These winnings then lead to Tony garnering a ride in |
| put on young Tony, his father molded into him the | | | | the freshman years of the Indy Car series. Stewart |
| importance of being the best race car driver possible | | | | managed to wrestle out the Rookie of the Year |
| and that stayed true to him throughout his racing | | | | from them in 1996 which then proved to be the |
| career. | | | | starting point for him as he went on to win the |
| Of course, Nelson Stewart was the driving force | | | | series championship the following year. |
| behind this dynamic personality. Stewart's father | | | | Tony Stewart broke one of his own records in 2001 |
| played car owner and car chief in young Stewart's | | | | when he completed driving 1,100 miles in one car. He |
| budding years. Stewart acknowledges that all his | | | | drove a Target/Home Depot Indy car for Chip |
| passion for racing came from his father's influence. He | | | | Ganassi at Indy which proved to have worked for |
| credits his father for fueling his intense need to win. | | | | him compared to his 1999 finish on the lead lap in |
| Until this day, Stewart's father makes it a point to sit | | | | sixth before he went to Concord for the Coca-Cola |
| in for his races when he has the time. | | | | 600. He came in the third place in that 600 miler. |
| In Stewart's own words, he was always looking for | | | | He started the 2007 racing season with a second win |
| the biggest trophy to win ever since he was eight. | | | | at the Chili Bowl Nationals midget car feature. He then |
| Stewart started out with go-karts when he was 7. | | | | went on too compete in the Daytona Speedweeks |
| He won his first championship in 1980 at the | | | | Budweiser Shootout which earned him his third win. |
| Columbus Fairgrounds. It was a 4-cycle rookie junior | | | | The avid outdoor's man went on after that to build a |
| class championship that was closely followed by two | | | | high career in racing. One that is filled with as much |
| more go-karting competitions only this time around | | | | enthusiasm and zeal as it was when he was still the |
| Stewart was competing on a national level. He won | | | | young 8 year old Indiana boy winning his first |
| the 1983 International Karting Federation Grand | | | | championship. Stewart now also dedicates time to |
| National championship and the 1987 World Karting | | | | the charity he started up in 2003. The main aim of |
| Association National championship. | | | | the Tony Stewart Foundation is to raise funds for |
| Once Tony turned 18 in 1989, he started to show an | | | | critically ill children and for the families of injured race |
| interest in racing high-horsepower, open wheel | | | | car drivers. |
| machines. His talent quickly proved to be | | | | It is clear that Tony Stewart's success can be |
| overwhelming when he won Rookie of the Year in | | | | attributed to the support given to him by his father, |
| 1991 in the USAC ranks after he raced | | | | Nelson Stewart. Thanks to his father's |
| Three-Quarter Midgets. | | | | encouragement in his youth, we can expect to see |
| This "American Chopper" fan went on to win his first | | | | more from this talented speed devil. |