| If anyone was born to be a racer, it is Tony | | | | Tony joined Team Menard to drive in the Indy |
| Stewart. You only have to look at this Indiana | | | | Racing League in 1996. Tony finished the season with |
| native's racing career to see why many are | | | | the Rookie of the Year title and an eighth place |
| comparing him to A.J. Foyt and Dale Earnhardt Sr. | | | | standing in the points. Typical Tony Stewart, he went |
| Despite the comparisons, Stewart is a unique driver | | | | on to win the Indy Racing League Championship in |
| and he is carving out his own page in racing history. | | | | 1997. Indy cars weren't the only thing occupying |
| Stewart started winning championships as a | | | | Stewart's time. He was also driving in the Busch |
| youngster when he took the Four-Cycle Rookie | | | | series for Joe Gibbs Racing. |
| Junior Championship at the Columbus, Indiana | | | | Stewart entered the NASCAR Winston Cup series as |
| Fairgrounds in 1980. He followed that up with the | | | | a full time driver for Joe Gibbs in 1999. The racing |
| International Karting Federation Championship in 1983. | | | | world took notice of Stewart when he qualified |
| In 1987, Stewart won the World Karting Association | | | | second for the first race of the '99 season, the |
| National Championship. Pretty impressive for a teen | | | | legendary Daytona 500. Tony Stewart finished out |
| barely old enough to have a drivers license. | | | | his first season and was crowned Rookie of the Year |
| Stewart traded in the karts for open wheelers in | | | | with a fourth place finish in the standings. This was |
| 1989. He raced Three-Quarter Midgets, entered the | | | | the best finish of a rookie driver in almost two |
| USAC ranks in 1991--and was crowned Rookie of the | | | | decades. |
| Year. Stewart won the USAC championship title in | | | | Tony went on to finish seventh in the standings in |
| 1994 after winning five races in the National Midget | | | | 2000, and second in 2001. Tony Stewart was a man |
| category. The year 1995 was a phenomenal year for | | | | on a mission and he was crowned NASCAR Winston |
| Tony Stewart. He was the first racer ever award | | | | Cup Champion in 2002. Stewart showed the world |
| USACs Triple Crown for being the champion in the | | | | what his father, Nelson, had known since Tony was |
| Sprint, National Midget and Silver Crown Series. | | | | a child. Tony was born to sit behind the wheel. |