by Chris McWilliams on March 2, 2011
Tony Sewart (Image Credit: Nick Laham)
Later this year NASCAR star and dirt track legend Tony Stewart will swap rides with 2008 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. “Smoke” is no stranger to Indy cars as he was the 1996 Indy Racing League Rookie of the Year, 1997 Indy Racing League Points Champion, and has competed in five Indy 500’s with one pole and a best finish of 5th. This announcement comes on the heals of the IZOD IndyCar Series posting a whopping $5,000,000 to any driver who can come in and beat the IndyCar regulars at their 2011 series finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This huge payday has sent rumors swirling that drivers like Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and A.J. Allmendinger may show up in Las Vegas to take a shot at the win.
Lewis Hamilton (Image Credit: Paul Gilham)
Stewart’s car swapping exhibition with Lewis Hamilton is being put on my Mobil 1 which both drivers share as a sponsor. A firm date has not yet been determined for the event but it is expected to take place sometime during the summer at Watkins Glen International Road Course. Both drivers will bring real race cars with them instead of polished up show cars. Hamilton will climb behind the wheel of one of Stewart’s road course ready #14 Chevrolet Impalas. While Tony will pilot one of Hamilton’s 2010 model McLaren Formula One cars. The drivers will not be alone as both of their teams are expected to travel with them to fine tune their machines at the track.
In 2003 NASCAR and Formula One saw a similar ride swapping event take place. This event took place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya traded cars. By all accounts this event was a success as both drivers expressed a greater appreciation for the other’s respective discipline after trading rides. Each driver hit the track twice in the other’s machine and received driving pointers in between sessions. After the event Gordon said, “To get the opportunity here today to do this fulfills really every desire and dream that I had.” Stewart and Hamilton’s event should be interesting for fans of all forms of auto racing to watch as two great drivers get chances to pilot top notch machines from other series.
http://www.onedirt.com/news/tony-stewart-to-swap-rides-with-formula-one%e2%80%99s-lewis-hamilton/
