Tony Stewart compares decision to sack Donny Schatz with termination of his ex-NASCAR team SHR

Tony Stewart, an iconic NASCAR figure, recently opened up on firing Donny Schatz from his sprint car team, Tony Stewart Racing. He compared the firing to the termination of his NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing.

Tony Stewart has just let go of Donny Schatz, with whom he spent 18 years together before creating an iconic period of sprint car racing.

After failing to perform on the track, 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion and one of the most accomplished drivers in sports history, Schatz was dropped mid-season by Tony Stewart Racing (TSR). Stewart explained that the move is hard but is required to reset and refocus ahead of the 2026 season. Kerry Madsen has been named to replace Schatz in the No. 15 car for the remainder of 2025.

Tony Stewart compared his decision to fire Donny Schatz to the major changes he experienced with his former NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing. He said while speaking to Flo Racing:

"I mean, it's kind of similar to the decision to announce the SHR deal, (when Stewart-Hass Racing's NASCAR operation shut down). I mean, this: There's never an ideal time. I mean, the hard part is the Sprint Car offseason gets shorter and shorter every year. And, you know, it’s just a scenario where it's just time for a change. Donny’s been miserable driving the car and we've been miserable trying to find solutions, and we're not mad at each other. It's just frustrating for everybody involved."

Tony Stewart is an extremely successful and semi-retired NASCAR driver who has had a very competitive and versatile career in driving. Having competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1999 until 2016, he has made 618 starts with a 49-win total, which places him in 15th place on the all-time list of Cup Series wins. Stewart has three Cup Series championships as a driver in 2002 and 2005, and in 2011 as a driver-owner (the first in that role since Alan Kulwicki in 1992). He is also well known for winning the title with three different title sponsors (Winston, Nextel, and Sprint), and he is the sole driver to clinch a championship in a tiebreaker series in series history.

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Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett salute Dodge as the bedrock of TSR Nitro’s success

Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett have credited Dodge as the fundamental foundation of the success of their Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Nitro team. Dodge's support and backing have been crucial since their partnership started in 2022, allowing TSR to build a strong competitive presence in NHRA drag racing. Leah Pruett emphasized that Dodge was the very first and essential building block that made it possible for TSR Nitro to come together and achieve success at a high level.

Tony Stewart echoed this sentiment (12:51 onwards):

"It really was our foundation in all reality, that was the first piece of the building blocks that had to happen to assemble it."

The partnership between Dodge and TSR has resulted in impressive accomplishments, including multiple national event victories and the prestigious 2023 NHRA Mission World Funny Car Championship won by Matt Hagan, a key TSR driver.