Pit Pass Indy

Journalist Bruce Martin gives racing fans an inside look at the exciting world of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in this fast-paced podcast, featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Checking in with 1997 INDYCAR Series Champion Tony Stewart

January 4, 2021

It’s Season No. 2 in 2022 for Pit Pass Indy as we speed ahead into the new year of IndyCar action.

Our special guest in the first episode of Season 2 is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his INDYCAR SERIES championship. It’s 1997 Indy Racing League champion Tony Stewart. Before he went on to win three NASCAR Cup Series championships and become a Cup Series championship owner with Kevin Harvick in 2014, Stewart was an Indy car racing star.

In 1995, Stewart became the first driver in history to win all three United States Auto Club (USAC) National Championships in the same season when he won the Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown series. That made him the perfect fit for a step up to the new Indy Racing League in 1996 as the original goal of that series was to promote grass roots, oval track drivers from the United States.

Stewart won the Indy Racing League championship in a 10-race season in 1997 that also included his first career INDYCAR victory at Pikes Peak International Raceway that season. He won two-more INDYCAR contests in 1998 with victories at Disney World and New Hampshire that season. Stewart finished third in the standings that year with Kenny Brack winning the championship and Davey Hamilton second.

Stewart traded in his Indy car for a NASCAR Cup Series car in 1999, setting a then-rookie record with three wins his first season. Stewart won Cup Series titles in 2002, 2006 and 2011. He retired from Cup Series racing as a driver following the 2016 season with 49 career wins. Stewart remains as one of NASCAR’s top Cup Series team owners and this year, started an NHRA drag racing team for his wife, Leah Pruett. He also owns one of the top grass roots operations in racing, Tony Stewart Racing.

Stewart continues to drive race cars around the country in various divisions at the grass-roots level.

Pit Pass Indy show host Bruce Martin interviewed Stewart at the famed “Yard of Bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on December 10, 2021.

For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at Twitter at @BruceMartin_500

Sponsors

In the world of racing, "Penske" means performance ... and winning. For good reason. Since 1966, Team Penske has won 43 national championships, 17 IndyCar alone. Those are results that are tough to top.

Recent Episodes

View All

The Men Behind Alex Palou’s 2023 IndyCar Championship with Ricky Davis and Julian Robertson

Pit Pass Indy
Martin has exclusive interviews with chief mechanic Ricky Davis and engineer Julian Robertson of Chip Ganassi Racing. They explain their vital rol...
Listen to The Men Behind Alex Palou’s 2023 IndyCar Championship with Ricky Davis and Julian Robertson

Say Howdy to Howdy Holmes – the 1979 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year

Pit Pass Indy
Show host Bruce Martin catches up with one of the most popular IndyCar drivers in the late 1970s and 1980s, Howdy Holmes, driver of the Jiffy Mix ...
Listen to Say Howdy to Howdy Holmes – the 1979 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year

Liz Power Has A Lot To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Pit Pass Indy
Martin has an in-depth, emotional and inspiring interview with Liz Power, the wife of two-time IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 w...
Listen to Liz Power Has A Lot To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

IndyCar Vice President of Promoter Relations Michael Montri

Pit Pass Indy
Martin has an in-depth interview with IndyCar Vice President of Promoter Relations Michael Montri. In addition to his important role dealing with ...
Listen to IndyCar Vice President of Promoter Relations Michael Montri