Two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship winner Tony Stewart is deemed by many as one of the greatest drivers of all time. Though Stewart was infamous for frequently being at the center of controversies in NASCAR, they never let it affect his performance. For all his bold comments, out-of-the-box actions, and aggression, Smoke is still one of the most versatile and skilled drivers of all time.
Over the years, Stewart has taken up a much calmer approach towards things, unlike the hot-headed persona he was famous for in his prime. Recently, when Kevin Harvick spoke to RAM CEO Tim Kuniskis, midway through the chat, things took an interesting turn.
Kevin Harvick’s Proposal for Tony Stewart To Return to NASCAR
Even after retiring from NASCAR in 2016, Stewart has been racing in various capacities. In addition to driving in multiple formats, he co-founded the tournament Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) alongside Ray Evernham in 2021. He even won the debut edition before shutting it down in 2024.
In his latest ventures as a driver, he is currently driving in the NHRA Top Fuel Dragster category, where he bagged his first national victory at the 2025 Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals.
While Stewart still holds the NASCAR Hall of Famer card, he has stayed away from the NASCAR track for a while now, especially after his team, Stewart-Haas Racing, shut down its operations in 2024. Although Gene Haas still operates the team under the banner of Haas Factory Team, Stewart withdrew his association from the organization in 2024.
In the most recent episode of his podcast, “Happy Hour”, Harvick invited Kuniskis to a conversation after announcing RAM’s return to NASCAR. The two spoke about the reason behind RAM’s reappearance and its strategic entry plan, and Kuniskis also revealed a rough timeline.
The RAM boss mentioned that the carmaker was eyeing entering the Truck circuit by 2026 and the Cup Series by 2027. As soon as Harvick learned about this, he added, “You know you’ve got one of the guys that knows how to do this already with Tony Stewart kind of in the portfolio.”
Harvick even offered to help Kuniskis in case Stewart needed some convincing to return to NASCAR. He said, “I mean, maybe we could just convince him to drive a truck, own a team. Maybe I could help you convince Tony to re-emerge as that Cup owner. We need him back in the Cup Series and the Truck Series garage anyway.”
Harvick, who drove for Stewart’s team for almost 10 years, developed a camaraderie with him. Winning the 2014 championship in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas racing car is one of his career highlights. Over the years, the two have also developed a close relationship off the track.
After hearing Harvick’s proposition, Kuniskis could not help but laugh and reveal, “So, when I was at MIS, and I made this announcement, people said, ‘You’re just fishing for the team to see who stands up.’ And I didn’t hear anything from Tony [Stewart], but we’ll see where this all ends up.”
While Kuniskis did not entirely rule out Stewart’s return, it remains to be seen if the 2011 championship winner will once again decide to run a car under his banner in NASCAR. But hey! Will other veterans start weighing in on their chances if Smoke is back? Well, that’s something only time could tell.