Tony Stewart still is chasing his first Sprint Cup victory of the season, but he's already taken the checkered flag this year -- at Virginia International Raceway.
In the process, he gave 15-year-old Ian Turner of Williamsburg a day to remember.
It started when Stewart and his crew were taking a break from racing at Martinsville on Saturday, March 27. They rented out the kart track at VIR for the day to have some fun. As the day ended, Stewart asked about staying a little longer. He was informed there was a NASA (National Auto Sport Association) race scheduled for that evening.
Overhearing the conversation, Tommy Tucker, Ian's father, offered up his spot -- he was going to split the race with Ian.
Stewart went over to race organizer Jon Felton.
"This short, familiar-looking guy comes over," Felton said. "He asked if it was OK if he ran with us. And everybody was like, 'Oh my gosh, it's Tony Stewart.'"
Stewart was cleared to run with Tucker, his pit crew got a car of its own and the 90-minute race was off.
It took Ian four laps to take the lead from his starting position in the back of the pack, and the young prodigy had built a three-lap lead when it was time to turn the car over to Stewart. Not surprisingly, the NASCAR veteran held his own.
"He just blew away the field," Ian said. "He got better and better with every lap."
The driver known as "Smoke" crossed the finish line six laps up, doubling the lead that Ian had built in the kart, which goes about 45 mph.
Instead of bolting for Martinsville, Stewart and the crew hung around in the garage, chatting with his new team.
"It was just like sitting and chatting with somebody in your living room," Tommy said. "He gave Ian the checkered flag and signed it. It was a great experience."
Ian said that the conversation was mostly business, as the two talked about racing. Though just 15, Turner recently was cleared to begin racing cars at VIR, and Felton said that he's been a solid competitor in the kart series.
"He's super smooth," Turner said. "It's pretty common to have them come down and humiliate a bunch of adults who think they can drive fast."
Turner even held his own with Stewart -- his fastest lap time was just a tenth of a second slower than the NASCAR veteran's.
As for Stewart, the race was his lone triumph of the weekend -- the Martinsville race was rain-delayed until Monday, and he finished 26th. When he heads to the starting line at Richmond tomorrow, Turner will be at VIR for the finale of this season's kart racing.
The youngster said he didn't have a favorite NASCAR driver before sharing a kart with one. Now he's on the Tony Stewart bandwagon -- at least until they become competitors.
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