Tony Stewart Would Fire All of NASCAR’s Upper Management on Day One
Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart said he would fire all of the sport's upper management on his first day in charge. The former driver and team owner says NASCAR has lost its original fan base and made the sport too complicated to follow.
Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, says he would fire all of NASCAR's upper management on his first day if he were in charge of the sport. The comments, published November 9, 2026, add a prominent former driver and team owner to the critics of the series' direction.
"I would fire all of the upper management, first day, right out of the gate," Stewart said.
He did not describe everyone at NASCAR as the problem. "I do think there's some great people up there," he said. He added that they face "a lot hurdles" in their work.
Fresh eyes and lost fans
Stewart wants new people with a deep knowledge of the sport's history. He called "cleaning house at the top and bringing in some fresh eyes and ears" the first step.
His main target is the fan base. "They've kinda lost their original fan base," Stewart said.
"If I was president for a day, that would be one of the main focuses is getting that original fan base back and making it relatable like it used to be," he said. He believes fans who drifted away can still be won back.
He also said the sport has become too complicated. Stewart said he has been out of it for two years and still does not understand everything about it.
"If I can't follow along as a former driver and owner, how do they expect the fans to follow along?" he asked.
Stewart believes some executives are trying to make a difference but are held back. He said their ideas get "handcuffed" and they are not "allowed to run with the ball like they should."
Who is Stewart
Stewart, 55, retired from full-time driving after the 2016 season. He later became a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.
After the 2024 season, he sold his stake in the team and the operation closed.
He has long voiced opinions on the direction of the sport. In an earlier episode, Stewart and 20 other drivers went to NASCAR leadership to describe what they saw as wrong with the car.
NASCAR told all of them they were wrong and that its data said something else. Just a few years later, Stewart retired.
His latest remarks arrive in the days after the season finale weekend at Homestead-Miami, where the race was run on November 8, 2026.
