Tony Stewart Recalls Feeling Of Relief After First NASCAR Win At Richmond

When Tony Stewart wins a race these days, it’s somewhat routine: Of course Stewart won. He’s Tony Stewart!

It wasn’t always that way. Thirty-eight wins ago, Stewart was a rookie at Richmond International Raceway who pulled into a NASCAR Victory Lane for the first time.

Upon winning the 1999 Richmond fall race, Stewart jumped on top of his car (you were allowed to do that in those days), threw a sports drink bottle out to the crowd and wildly celebrated.

But in his TV interview with ESPN’s Jerry Punch, Stewart seemed more relieved than exuberant. He spoke of his joy in a subdued manner and breathed heavy sighs of relief.

“Oh man,” he said then. “This is the first time in my life I’ve been speechless.”

Looking back now, Stewart says there’s a reason he appeared that way immediately after his first win.

“It’s like getting over a hill,” he said Friday. “It’s like getting to the first (win) is the hard part, and once you get the first one, you feel established, you feel you’ve earned your right to be there – and stay there.

“Until you do that, sometimes it’s hard to feel like you belong and (it’s uncertain) whether you’re going to have that opportunity to stay. When you get that first win under your belt, it makes it that much easier.”

If you watch the video below (fast forward to the 5:00 mark of the clip), you’ll see what he means.