If you are the type whose interest runs to the car racing sports, then chances are that you must have heard of Tony Stewart, American born stock car racing driver, an accomplished businessman as well as a NASCAR team owner who is popularly called Smoke by his fans. In 2002, 2005 and 2011, Tony emerged as the champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 1996 and 1999, he was named the Indianapolis 500 Rooky of the year and Winston Cup Series Rookie of the year respectively. His burning temper on the NASCAR circuit and his racing style which has been described as aggressive has made him one of the most famous on the car racing tracks.
The racing titles he has earned through the course of his career include; Indy, sprint, midget as well as USAC Silver Crown cars. He made the records as the only driver ever to bag a championship in both NASCAR and IndyCar and he is one of the NASCAteam owners with a record of four Sprint Cup Series victory as an owner as well as driver. Tony also features as a radio show host.
He has more than a few awards under his belt, notable among them are; Richard Petty Driver of the Year, Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Driver of the year and Legend of the Glen Inductee. He also has Sonoma Raceway Wall of Fame Inductee under his belt. On the last day of September 2016, he announced his retirement from active racing and presently, he is busy on the business front.
Age, Bio
His given name is Anthony Wayne Stewart, he came into the world on the 20th of May 1971 and his place of birth is Columbus Indiana which indicates his American nationality but his ethnicity is North American. His dad has been accurately identified as Nelson Stewart though his profession is not known; his mother’s name is Pam Boas. Tony grew up in his place of birth alongside a younger sister called Natalie Stewart, his parent’s marriage did not last, it ended in a divorce when Tony was a high school student. Presently, his dad is still single but his mum has gone into a second marriage.
Talking about his academic qualifications, he is a high school graduate from Columbus North High School where he accomplished his graduation in 1989. Apart from the details of his high school education, there is no other information on the higher institution he attended if any. The records only said that he has a healthy dose of interest in the car racing sports from childhood and became a success at an early age.
Girlfriend, Married, Wife, Daughter
Currently, Tony Stewart is not married but he has had his fair share of romantic relationships in the past. One of his affairs was with Krista Dwyer during the early days of his career, their affair commenced in 1997 but they had to call it quits when Tony’s career demanded his presence at different places for races, though their relationship lasted for a few years before it ended in 1999.
Jamie Schaffer came on the scene in 2002 and stayed for a couple of years before they ended it in 2004. It seemed that Tony took a two-year break from his dating life after Jamie but Tara Roquemore succeeded Jamie in 2006, they really looked very serious together but it still ended in a separation in 2008.
His current girlfriend is Penelope Jimenez – an ex-playboy Playmate, their relationship took off in 2016 and this time around, it seems that Tony is ready to tie the connubial knot because they are already officially engaged. Their engagement happened in November 2017 on Thanksgiving Day when the famed car racer popped the big question with a diamond ring. Although they are yet to be married, Tony seem to be happy with his relationship because he put in an announcement of his engagement on the social media, complete with a photo of his fiancée’s ring. Before now, his name was linked with Jessica Zemkem – Sprint Car and World of Outlaw driver popularly known as Rushville Rocke.
Net Worth
Tony is one of the best paid car racing drivers of his time, he accumulated a whooping net worth of $70 million throughout his career as a car racer. His annual income has been pegged at a handsome $19 million and for the championships he bagged during his car racing career, he received a significant amount in millions of dollars. Notable among them is the 2005 season championship when he won a total of $13,578,166 including $6, 173, 633 which was considered the highest season total in the history of NASCAR. The first race he won in the non-championship NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV earned him over $1 million.
Apart from his profession, he is involved in several endorsements which pay him over $6 million. Notable among his endorsements are Coca-cola, Toyota, Oakley, Burger King Steak House XT and many more. Tony is the owner of several luxurious houses in Indiana, he also owns push cars like; 1984 Cadillac, 1957 Chevy Belair, 1955 Chevy Nomad, 1967 Pontiac GTO and 1979 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird which is his favorite. He has a good number of business interests, he bought the All Star Circuit of Champions club, Eldora Speedway and part owns Macon Speedway and Paducah International Raceway.
