We all know Tony Stewart dominated behind the wheel of a stock car, but how does he fare in other vehicles? Back in 2012, during a Mobil 1 promotional event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the former NASCAR driver had the opportunity try out drifting, and then he even drove around the infield in a tank!
Check out the footage from the event in the video below, and you'll get a sneak peak at what some fortunate NASCAR drivers get to do during their off days.
First off, we see Stewart strapping in and driving off in a Formula Drift-prepped Chevrolet Camaro, which was previously used by professional drifter Tyler McQuarrie. Keep in mind, these are not easy cars to drive, and even though they were made to drift, it does take little time to get used to. Fortunately, Stewart got some pointers from McQuarrie himself.
Stewart gets to spin out a couple times while letting that V8 sing, and he seemed to get things down a little better in the clips that followed. To be sure, practice makes perfect in drifting. Though, Stewart had a big smile on his face when he got out of the car, and that's the real prize.
Shortly after his drifting session, Stewart climbed into a 64,000-pound M36 Jackson. Stewart drove through the infield in the vintage World War II tank, which has a top speed of 26 MPH. We see him hanging out of the roof as the tank gains speed, and it even breaks through one of the Mobil 1 banners. This definitely looks like one hell of a day!
Stewart has always enjoyed dabbling in different types of racing, from IndyCar, sprint cars, and, most recently, drag racing. The man loves a good challenge. I'd love to see what he'd be able to do if he committed fully to drifting events. This looked like a successful event overall, and it made for an awesome video.
This post was originally published on January 14, 2021.