NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart is hopping behind the wheel of a Pavement Midget this Thursday night as part of the Thursday Night Thunder Heroes celebrity race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“Smoke” will hit the track alongside a Daytona 500 winner, a three-time NHRA world champ, the GM of Eldora Speedway, the Chili Bowl G.O.A.T. 🐐, and more racing legends!
Read more about the Thursday Night Thunder Heroes Race at @RaceIRP 👇 https://t.co/I7zhgTfY8O— FloRacing (@FloRacing) June 24, 2025
Stewart, an Indiana native with several ties to Indianapolis Raceway Park, including USAC, joins a field of eight racing legends for this special event honoring ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder.
This iconic racing show aired on ESPN in the 1990s and highlighted short-track racing and future stars from across the nation.
Racing alongside Stewart will be an NHRA Funny Car World Champion, a Sprint Car Racing Legend, and a Daytona 500 Champion. The field of eight legends includes Brad Noffsinger, Davey Hamilton, Levi Jones, Michael Lewis, Ron Capps, Ryan Newman, and Sammy Swindell.
Stewart has occasionally raced on ovals since his 2016 retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series, mostly in sprint cars and the now-defunct SRX. But Smoke has mostly turned his attention to drag racing.
After winning the NHRA Rookie of the Year Award in 2024, Smoke is giving the series his full effort in 2025 and currently sits in first place in the NHRA’s Top Fuel division.
Though he has had exploits at Indianapolis Raceway Park in a Midget, Smoke has a deep history with the track outside of open-wheel racing.
This includes several starts at the 0.686-mile oval in the NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series and some less traditional races, including Cleetus McFarland’s Indy 800 Crown Vic Race.
The Thursday Night Thunder Heroes Race will stream live this Thursday on FloRacing.
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