Destined to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Tony Stewart’s NASCAR career ends Sunday in the final race of the 2016 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
For his last race, Stewart will drive a special black and gray “Smoke” paint scheme and wear a unique helmet paying tribute to his career, which began with grassroots racing in Indiana.
MORE: What Smoke will do post-retirement
Intended to replicate a weathered helmet from a seasoned local-track veteran, Stewart’s helmet actually has real rust tacked onto it.
The last one. #AlwaysRac14g pic.twitter.com/R7eSCUV5Gh
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 20, 2016
The helmet took six months to get right and perfectly embodies Stewart’s signature slogan, “Always a Racer, Forever a Champion.”
. @ TonyStewart ‘s helmet for this weekend took 6 MONTHS to get right. #TheChase https://t.co/mba75rIOzc
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 19, 2016
It’s highly unlikely Smoke is going to throw this helmet in anger at an opponent’s car like he did at Matt Kenseth in 2012 at Bristol.
