"Be really fun to watch them step on their d*ck and suffer": Tony Stewart fires back at 'frustrating' and 'disappointing' TSR criticism

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart celebrated the 25th year of Tony Stewart Racing in 2025. Following this, the team faced criticism over Stewart's decision to end his nearly two-decade-long partnership with Donny Schatz and opened up about it during a Q&A session with Flo Racing.

The announcement of Schatz's departure came days before the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series' upcoming events. The former had been with TSR since 2008 and has won eight series titles along with hundreds of wins. Reflecting on the difficult decision, Stewart expressed his frustration over celebrating the 25th year by cutting ties with Schatz.

Tony Stewart told the host, McFadden:

"It sucks to sit there, and this isn't just somebody that sat in my race car and I didn't talk to. I mean, we didn't go on vacations all the time together or anything like that, but we've known each other for 18 years, you know? And to sit there and for people to sit there and say the stuff they're saying, it's probably the most disappointing part of it today, and something that I didn't even think about because I was worried about Donny." (via Flo Racing)

Continuing further, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion also addressed the online criticism over their decision to part ways:

"It just, it's really frustrating and disappointing to have to live through that part of it for no reason, for people that just literally don’t have a clue what it takes to build a program. You know, if they're so smart I'd like to see them on a program, you know? It'd be really fun to watch them step on their d*ck and suffer, and think they know all the answers of what it takes to a professional race team."

Schatz struggled in qualifying but got the last slot in the main event at Knoxville Nationals. Kerry Madsen will replace Donny Schatz's #15 car for Tony Stewart Racing, starting from Friday, August 15, 2025, at Ogilvie Raceway in Minnesota.

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"It’s not like what you and I were used to": When Tony Stewart elucidated the difference between stock car racing and drag racing

In October 2024, former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Tony Stewart was featured on the Happy Hour podcast, hosted by stock car racing legend Kevin Harvick. During the episode, Stewart pointed out the significant differences between stock car racing and drag racing.

The 54-year-old former Cup Series driver noted that NASCAR races typically last between three and four hours. Meanwhile, NHRA Series drag races generally last for three to four seconds. He added (via YouTube):

“It’s not like what you and I were used to, where we’ve got a three-and-a-half-hour race. We’ve got six or eight pit stops during the day, and we have three, four, or five hundred laps to get the job done. If we make a mistake, we're going to fix it."

“Drag racing; it’s the opposite of that. Instead of being in the car for three and a half hours, you’re literally driving the car three and a half seconds and going from zero to 330 miles per hour in 3.6, 3.7 seconds on a good run. So, it’s drastically different," he added.

Tony Stewart also compared the engines of the cars in both series, highlighting that drag racing cars are built to compete in straight lines, with the engines pumping out 11,000 horsepower. On the other hand, stock car racing engines are limited to 650 horsepower and generally built to compete on oval tracks.