Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart shown during an All Star Circuit of Champions event this season. Stewart sat down with PennLive motorsports writer Jeremy Elliott to discuss the state of Sprint Car racing. (Jeremy Elliott | jelliott@pennlive.com)

Tony Stewart is one of the most well-known figures in American racing, both on asphalt and at the local Saturday night dirt track.

There are few drivers that can match his on-track talent. Stewart's won in every type of car he's raced and became a star on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, winning three titles.

But Stewart is more than just a driver. He owns a World of Outlaws team, the All Star Circuit of Champions series and one of the premier racetracks in the country, Eldora Speedway, which allows him to have a unique perspective on the sport.

Stewart visited Grandview Speedway last Thursday and sat down with PennLive to discuss the state of Sprint Car racing, teching, parity in the sport and drug testing.

PL: You own a Sprint Car team, own a series in the All Star Circuit of Champions and own Eldora Speedway. It allows you to look at the sport from different angles. Do you think Sprint Car racing is healthy and in a good spot?

TS: I don't think it's in a bad spot. The thing that we have to watch is what is going on in the late model world with tire doping and crap like that we don't need. I've heard about it happening. I hear the rumors, and I'm going with the fact that they are rumors, right now. Tracks don't tech tires. The Outlaws are teching, we are teching and that's really what matters to me. What happens at the local track level ... if they don't want to police it, then I can't worry about what they are doing. But all and all, I think Sprint Car racing is plugging along.

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PL: There are less independent team owners than in the past and more family-owned teams. It's made it difficult for drivers that don't have family money to get a ride. Is that something that concerns you?

TS: I think it's just a different era. When I was coming up, you drove for teams. Now, it's families that have kids, and they have money to support their kids. I'm all for it. I would rather the families who can support their kids driving race cars do that versus buying them a soccer ball or baseball, a bat and a mitt. It doesn't concern me. As long as the product is good on the track and we have good, talented drivers on the circuit, that's all that matters. I think there is a lot of depth across the country. There are a lot of really good race teams out there.

PL: So much has been made about the parity in Sprint Car racing and how it has negatively affected the racing on the track. Do you like the current rules package?

TS: That's auto racing now. I don't blame a series for that as much as I blame technology. It happened that way in Formula One first, and then it went to IndyCar racing. It's happening in NASCAR as we speak and everywhere else. You look how good the shock packages are now. When technology wasn't as good as it is now, there were a lot more guys passing because guys had to think about their car more. You had to feel your shocks and say what feels right. Now, most of the teams have shock dynos in their trailer and just look at a number and know that is the shock they should run. The great thing about Brian Carter with the World of Outlaws, ourselves and Emmett Hahn with ASCS is that I think everybody is trying to constantly figure out how to make it better, how to counteract the technology and keep the racing good.

PL: If you were king for a day in Sprint Car racing, what would you change to make the racing better?

TS: My idea ... they almost kicked me out of the owner's meeting a year ago at Knoxville. To me, I think shortening the main plane of the wing six inches is a good start. I wanted to do a test with five or six guys, and realistically, the fans wouldn't notice it. We are talking about three inches off the front and back of the wing. You go to a non-wing race, and they can run side-by-side with slide jobs and things like that. A winged race, and that leader has to get in traffic before the racing really gets good.

PL: Brad Doty and others have stated less wing angle would help the problem. What are your thoughts?

TS: You could do that, but guys are going to find a way to mount the wing to where you can move it forward and backward, to where it gains or loses rate. Most guys run the same wing angle, and it's not like there is a big difference. It's definitely something to look at, but every time you come up with an idea like that, the team finds 10 ways to get around the rule and get it back. Not only do they get around it, they get more. You have to make sure you run through something thoroughly before you do it.

PL: Drug testing is a hot-button topic in Sprint Car racing. Do you feel some form of testing needs to be implemented?

TS: I'm a fan of it. I heard of a track where a guy blew a .16 with alcohol, hit an official and really hurt the official. At some point, we got to police ourselves. I'm in favor of it. The hard thing is the cost to do it, and that hurts everybody. It's like tire teching. Someone has to pay for it. Drug testing, alcohol testing, it costs money to do it. But, they do it in all these other sports and major series, so why not auto racing?