NFL legend takes a hilarious jibe at Tony Stewart’s expense before Indy 500

Rob Gronkowski brought his signature humor and took a dig in jest at Tony Stewart aka Smoke before the 109th Indianapolis 500. The NFL legend is serving as the Grand Marshal of the iconic Snake Pit infield party at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Gronkowski energized the crowd with his cheery presence and also spoke on the FOX broadcast of the Indy 500. Tony Stewart Racing shared a clip of the moment on X.

"You have to be here, you guys are missing out the biggest party. There’s a lot of smoke here and I’m not talking about Tony Stewart," Rob Gronkowski said.

Meanwhile, Stewart, the 1997 IndyCar Series champion, has made a significant mark across multiple racing disciplines.

After joining NHRA last season, he has already secured two victories in the drag racing series this year. This achievement positions him as the only person to have multiple wins in NHRA, NASCAR, IndyCar, and USAC racing series.

The 54-year-old is also currently the only driver to have completed all 1100 miles at the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Kyle Larson, who will start the Indy 500 in 19th position this Sunday (May 25), is the third driver to ever attempt at The Double more than once.

Stewart's first Drag Racing Top Fuel Dragster win came at The Strip in Las Vegas and the latest at Route 66 Raceway, last week.

"Probably one of the toughest years I've seen in Indy" - Tony Stewart ahead of the Indy 500

Tony Stewart led Fox's pre-race coverage for the Indy 500 from 10 am ET with former driver Danica Patrick and broadcaster Chris Myers. Tom Rinaldi and Erin Andrews were also part of the pre-race broadcast with features and interviews.

During a post-race press conference at Route 66 Raceway, Stewart shared his reflections on the challenges of this year's Indy 500 preprations.

"In my career and my legacy in motorsports is that I've had my feet in every pool, it seems like, in every capacity. But it's not about what we're doing this weekend. Next weekend's about the Indianapolis 500, it's about the people," Tony Stewart said in a video shared on Instagram by @tsrsmoke.

"This year, all of us sat and watched the last couple of days of what these drivers went through and are going through. It is probably one of the toughest years I've seen in Indy for drivers driving these race cars," he added.

Stewart added that he was excited to work with FOX Sports, the broadcasting partner of the IndyCar Series and the The Great Spectacle of Racing. He called it an honor to support the event and his friends in IndyCar.

The race is scheduled to start at 12:45 pm ET.