Q: Do people underrate how important the driver and crew chief relationship is on the Outlaw tour?
Stewart: I think if you look at any type of motorsports, that’s something that’s really critical and the sprint car world is no different. I think if you have chemistry, you can go out and compete for a championship, and Donny and Ricky have proven that year-in and year-out.
That’s a huge, huge part of being successful on the road with the World of Outlaws.
Q: Do you feel like you and CJB Motorsports are primed to chase a championship together?
Stewart: Absolutely, I do. I wouldn’t have gone there if I didn’t feel that way. I think they have all the ingredients to go out and get it, too. I was listening to Mark Kinser on Open Red and when they asked if he and Karl (Kinser) ever sit down at the beginning of the year and say, ‘We’re going to go win a championship,’ and he said, “No, we didn’t. We just went out to win as many races as we could.”
If you do that, the points will take care of themselves because of your consistency, and I think that’s how you have to approach what we do with the schedule that we have. Having so many races, you have to be consistent and try to win each night out. If you can do that, then you’ll be in the hunt, and I’m hoping that Barry and I can work well together in pursuit of that goal.
Q: What do you take away from your time with Kyle Larson Racing?
Stewart: Before I got the job at (what was then) Larson Marks Racing, I was in limbo. I was driving other people’s cars and it was logistically a lot of work. I was at a point in my career where I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get the chance to go and run full time with the World of Outlaws. Kyle and Justin gave me a great opportunity and that’s five years of my life that I’m very grateful for. I’ve learned a ton.
We had some success. We won some big races. We were competitive most of the time. We obviously had our bad nights, but Justin and Kyle were the ones who believed in me enough to get me on tour, where I felt like I belonged. I feel like I’ve matured a lot and I think I’m a better driver because of them.
All of those things are nuggets I feel like I’ll be taking into my next adventure.
Q: How much longer to you feel like you can feasibly race full time with the World of Outlaws?
Stewart: If I can keep myself healthy, I don’t see why I don’t have another 10 years left in me. It’s a long time, I know, but I’m just now 42 and there’s a lot of guys who are in their upper 50s now who are still winning races and still doing a great job behind the wheel.
I’m hoping that I can hang my hat up onmy own terms and finish my career with the World of Outlaws, but who knows. If I can take care of myself though, I don’t see why I can’t be out there for at least another five or six years contending for championships and a lot of victories.
