Why do people think Tony Stewart winning the IRL title in 1997 was an achievement worth talking about?

Question

I just looked at the drivers that were in IRL in 1997 and the list of talent is pathetic. There are absolutely no noteworthy drivers in the list. All the good drivers at that time were in CART.

the way people talk about him here you would think him winning that title made him something special. Look at the drivers that were in the IRL in 1997 and compare it to those in CART. All the good drivers from CART stayed there after the split. Nearly all the drivers that are in CART in 1997 are in unified series now because they were the top drivers.

Tony stewart winning the IRL is not an achievement. Any driver worth his salt would have won that series.

Tony Stewart was put in ESPNs 25 greatest drivers of all time, ahead of Alain prost and Niki Lauda. Why? He won a series with the equivelent standard of drivers to british F3 and 2 nascar titles. Wow...

Answer 1

Let me ask you.......how many racing titles have you won??? Really let me know, a title is a title, doesn't matter how you got it or with whom you are racing with, he earned and he deserves it. I dont pay much attention to ESPN, but even the great AJ Foyt has stated before that Smoke is the best driver around, so what does that tell ya. Smoke is amazing, he can drive anything with 4 wheels. I would like to see him win the famous Indy 500, but he probably wont try, cause he has already stated, if he goes to Indy, he wants to be competative, not just race the one race. Gotta love him!!!

Go Smoke

Answer 2

Only a hand full of drivers have won the cup and fewer still more than one.  Stewart is one of the best drivers,talent wise I have seen.  He deserves to be named the top 25  Jr hasnt won in 2 years and has no cups.

Answer 3

Winning the IRL is more important to some people than winning two nascar titles.  Tony was a young driver back then, and still won it.  Since that time he ran the Indy 500 and Coke 600 in the same day, with top 10 finishes in both.  Tony is amount the elite in race car drivers whether you like him or not.

Answer 4

You again. You're still crying about the ESPN thing aren't yah?  Get over it already. Its not like its the ten commandments etched in stone guy.

Answer 5

tony stewart  had a better attitude then as well.

we met him in atl after the IRL race, he spent 90 minutes showing my buddies kids his car and garage area. now he wont sign a kids autograph.

I dont care who u are if fame goes to your head like that u suck great driver or not

GO CHEVY AND 24

Answer 6

it is an achievement worth talking about because it was an IRL series title - something neither you, nor i, nor anyone else did that year. and i'm guessing it is something that neither you nor i are ever going to do.

now, you obviously think it is worth talking about - otherwise you are wasting your time and ours by bringing it up. if you don't think it's worth talking about, don't bring it up and then we can not talk about it.

deal?

Answer 7

A title win is a title win.  Doesn't matter who he beat, he beat them.  Smoke's IRL title is only 1 of many accomplishments in an amazing career.  He deserves to be on anyone's top 25 list.

That being said, I don't put much stock in ESPN's take on auto racing.  Stick and ball sports are more their speed.

Answer 8

Thanks for your input. Don't let the door hit you in the *** on your way out of the Nascar section.

Answer 9

Maybe the same reason Junior fans keep pointing to his two Busch wins. Have to dredge up ancient history, since their man's winning days are over, and he never won a cup.

Oh wait a minute, Smoke has won a cup or two. Guess it's just Junior's lack of wins and cups.  Gotta make the other guys look bad to make him look good!

Answer 10

that would pretty much accurately put him in that list, besides American drivers are way more hard core than British drivers. If you don't realize that fact check out the drag racing scene.