“Worse Now Than It Was Then!” Tony Stewart Exposes Major Issue with Current Generation of NASCAR Cars

In the 2000s, NASCAR made a massive change to the design philosophy of the Cup cars that has significantly changed stock car racing from its previous iterations. These changed made the car more aero-sensitive and aero-dependent, irking many legends of the sport including Tony Stewart.

On his latest appearance on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Stewart talked about how the aero factor changed stock car racing.  The drivers were no longer as a significant factor as the used to be on the track and that was really evident in the final years of the veteran’s career with SHR.

You’re taking a line away because the cars are so aero-sensitive and so aero-dependent. The drivers used to make the difference; the driver, at the end of the day used to take what they had and change what they did with their hands and feet and manipulate the car. The last couple of years I drove, you could not do that.

Tony Stewart said.

Between 2013 and 2015, around 20 drivers sat down with NASCAR for meeting, sharing their feelings about how the aero-dependent design is negatively affecting racing. Tony Stewart admitted that the complaints fell in deaf ears, as the sport refused to make any changes and the situation is worse than ever.

And I’m going to circle back, that is when the 20 of us drivers went in there. That was the stuff that we talked about. And it just fell on deaf ears, and here we are 20 plus years later and they’re fighting the same thing. And they are worse now than it was then.

Tony Stewart added via DBC Podcast.

Further talking about the point, the Hall of Famer revealed that the fact that NASCAR never listened to his comments and the car was not evolving the way he expected it should, made him consider early retirement. He started planning his life post-Cup after the failed meeting.

When I walked out of there, that was the day that I decided I was working on my retirement plan and that I was getting out of the sport.

Tony Stewart asserted.

Tony Stewart reveals the biggest regret of his racing career

In the same podcast, the veteran talked about the biggest racing career and that has to do with his Cup debut. Before making his start in the top division with Joe Gibbs Racing, leaving IndyCar behind he had the opportunity to do with another team two years before.

Instead of taking the JGR route he could have raced for Ranier-Walsh Racing with Tommy Bladwin as his crew chief. Unfortunately, despite successful tests and in the lower divisions, things didn’t go as he planned. He still regrets that part of his career.

We did work together; we just didn’t get to work together enough, and honestly that’s probably one of my bigger regrets is that we didn’t actually get to finish what we started with Ranier.

Tony Stewart said.

The comments from the veteran racer show how much the opportunity provided by Ranier meant to him, as he was an upcoming talent back them and how he regrets missing the chance to pay them back with success. It would be interesting to see if NASCAR would ever abandon the aero depend design strategy for the Cup cars.

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