Getty Tony Stewart has spent considerable time at NHRA events.
A NASCAR Hall of Famer has just showcased an incredible collection spanning decades of motorsports history. Tony Stewart has provided a look at his helmet trophy case featuring pieces belonging to Richard Petty, AJ Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson.
Smoke provided the look during an exclusive tour of his home in Columbia, Ind., which also surfaced on Zillow. He and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles primarily focused on his basement, which includes an arcade room, a bar, a poker table, and dozens of lids from some of the greatest names in motorsports history. The NASCAR legends were prominent, but Stewart also had helmets from seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr., and seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher.
“I’m proud of my collection here,” Stewart said during the special tour. “We cover everything from Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, a lot of dirt track racing, road racing, even drag racers.”
There are specific sections in the trophy case dedicated to champions from the national series. Stewart has two helmets from Darrell Waltrip, two from Richard Petty, one from Bill Elliott, two from Dale Earnhardt Jr., two from Dale Earnhardt Sr., and two from Jimmie Johnson. The list continues, but Stewart did not have time to identify all of the helmets.
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A Sweat-Filled Helmet Joined the List
Stewart continued and showed off two particular helmets with unique stories attached. One belonged to Carl Edwards. It was the helmet that the now-retired driver wore during the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2011 when he and Stewart battled for the title. Edwards went back into his collection and found the helmet so he could trade it with Smoke and make it part of the trophy case.
The other helmet, which Stewart identified as his favorite, used to belong to Johnson. The seven-time champion actually gave away the helmet that he wore during the final race of the 2016 season so that it could join Stewart’s collection.
“It’s Jimmie Johnson’s seventh championship-winning helmet,” Stewart explained. “That was in 2016, the day of my last race in NASCAR. He wins the championship. [I] got done with my interviews, went to the stage, congratulated him, gave him a hug.
“He goes, ‘Hold on a second,’ told one of his people that was in front of the stage. They went to the car, got that out of the car, brought it back — wet, sweaty, everything — handed it to me.”
Stewart explained that he would give the helmet back to Johnson if the seven-time champ ever asked. However, he also noted that he will forever have a special place at his home for the autographed lid featuring Lowe’s decals and a handwritten message.
Stewart’s House Has an Impressive Collection of Games
Stewart is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, an IndyCar champion, the reigning SRX champion, a one-time USAC National Midget Series Champion, and an IROC champion. He is also a self-proclaimed fan of video games with a collection of arcade machines rivaling Aladdin’s Castle.
Smoke provided a glimpse at his collection that includes KISS pinball machines, a “Guitar Hero” cabinet, “Qbert,” and several other classic games. He explained that he loves video games, but he also uses the different machines to help him improve on the wildly varied tracks where he has competed.
“I have a practical philosophy in my head about them,” Stewart said. “Everything we do in motorsports is all based on hand-eye coordination. Pinball machines and the action of the ball and how fast everything moves. Anything you can do that keeps your brain engaged quickly and where you are having to make quick decisions I think is great for race car drivers.”
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