Tony Stewart hasn’t forgiven Steve O’Donnell. Not by a long shot. He made it painfully clear a Christmas morning text from NASCAR’s CEO did absolutely nothing to fix their fractured relationship. Stewart still resents the past, he has zero interest in helping O’Donnell, and honestly, he even suggested an encounter right now could turn physical. But then came the kicker, the part no one would have seen coming from the famously outspoken former champion.
The Bad Blood Runs Deep, And It’s Public
There’s a ton of history fueling Stewart’s frustration, and it’s been a public spectacle. Their beef blew up after communications about Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience, or SRX, surfaced during that legal battle involving NASCAR and Cup Series teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. O’Donnell had been seriously critical of NASCAR competitors participating in SRX, that short-track series Stewart co-founded and owned. Think about this: when Denny Hamlin announced he’d race in SRX, O’Donnell actually wrote in one message, “Oh great, another owner racing in SRX.” Seriously? He even testified about his concerns, saying, “I thought this looked more and more like NASCAR. … I was concerned with what was happening on the racetrack.”
Stewart hasn’t forgotten any of it. He dropped the bomb on “Door Bumper Clear” that O’Donnell tried to reach out on Christmas morning. But given their history? Stewart was absolutely not impressed. The message wasn’t even an apology. Stewart quoted it: “Oh, Merry Christmas. This and that. We’re trying to get the needle moving in the right direction, you think we could get together?” Stewart’s reply, in true Stewart fashion, was brutal. He said, “I’m like you can’t even say sorry yet and you want my help now? Piss off. I’m not ever going to help him.” That’s a long, long way from reconciliation, folks.
The Unexpected Twist That Changes Everything
So, you’d expect Stewart to just keep unloading, right? To let that deep-seated anger color every word about O’Donnell. But he didn’t. When the conversation flipped from their personal beef to O’Donnell’s actual job performance and leadership, Stewart’s whole tone changed. Suddenly, he put his personal feelings aside and gave NASCAR’s top executive genuine credit for what’s happening now. “I do think he’s making a difference now and I do think he’s trying,” Stewart admitted. He added, “I genuinely think he’s making a genuine effort to try and make it better and not because of an ego; I think he genuinely cares about it.”
That’s wild, isn’t it? He’s basically saying, yeah, I still wanna punch the guy, but he’s actually doing good work for the sport. NASCAR has seen some serious changes under O’Donnell, including bringing back the Chase format. Stewart clearly sees something else brewing behind those big decisions. It makes you wonder, can this professional respect ever bridge a personal feud that runs this deep? Or are we just gonna have to live with the paradox of Stewart hating the man but respecting the leader?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply