This won’t surprise anyone who has seen Tony Stewart’s stress level rise during a NASCAR weekend, but the driver they call “Smoke” says he feels the most comfortable with fans when he’s at autograph sessions – away from the track.
When Does Tony Stewart Feel The Most Comfortable With NASCAR Fans?
“It’s not that you don’t appreciate the time at the track with them,” Stewart said recently, “but there’s something always in the back of your mind that you’re worried about trying to get the car a tenth of a second faster or the fact that your car is loose or tight and you’re trying to figure it out in your head what you have to do to make that better.”
During autograph sessions or meet-and-greets – especially when the fans can ask questions – Stewart finds himself more laid back and relaxed. Those interactions work best for everybody, Stewart said.
"You're not worrying about the race car, you're not worrying about anything at the track and just worrying about what (the fans) have on their mind," he said. "You get some fun interaction with them at that point and they know you're not worrying about the race car, you know you're not and it's fun because you can coax them into asking questions that a lot of times they are real reserved."
Stewart said his favorite interactions with fans are when he can get them to ask questions they’ve always wanted to know “but never had the courage to ask it.”
"I can normally draw one or two of those out at a Q&A or an autograph session," he said. "It's fun to hear what they've got to say."
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