Stewart is constantly on the move, putting in 12+ hours a day, when he is not driving. granted, Stewart is a part team owner and highly recognizable. This story could be written for about 20 regular NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and several others. The same kind of schedule is probably not true for drivers like Paul Menard, Dave Blaney, Travis Kvapil and Kevin Conway.
From the article: Considering Tony Stewart is a two-time NASCAR champion, household name and sports hero who stars in television commercials, has celebrity phone numbers on speed dial and is greeted most places he goes with cheers, high-fives, women fawning and kids wanting autographs. .. you might expect to find him with an entourage of personal assistants, chauffeurs and chefs and plenty of fun-filled down time before each upcoming race weekend.Instead, Stewart, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and a new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, drove himself to work -- as he does every day -- to a photo shoot in a nondescript building located in the back of an industrial complex in Mooresville, N.C.There was no fawning, no celebration when he ambled in the door -- still needing a shave. As for fun, well that depends on your definition of it. Down time? Never saw it....
And then, more than five hours, a couple hundred shots and a tornado warning later, at the end of the photo session, the photographers and Stewart's marketing team suddenly started shaking their heads and whispering nervously to one another from behind the cameras and bright lights.They had overlooked a detail and were now going to need to reshoot an additional series of photographs of Stewart holding up sponsor El Monterey's frozen Mexican food packages for promotional material the company would use next year. Extra-extra large burritos, chimichangas and frozen taquitos -- 17 variations of Mexican meals -- and Stewart had already posed with each one, smile on, in a shot list long enough to stretch from Charlotte to Tijuana.
From Part 2: Over the course of FanHouse's frantic, 48-hour, behind-the-scenes visit with the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot-Old Spice Chevy, time and again, no matter the situation, no matter the person he encountered, Stewart made each feel like they were the most important person in his life for that moment. He presented himself as if every event he attended was the most significant part of his day...
I was the same way. There were drivers I didn't like when I came into the sport and then I got a chance to hang out with them in a different setting and I was like, 'Wow, that guy is a really nice guy.' There are drivers in this sport that fans don't like that if they could spend a half hour with them their perspective would totally change. I've been that person."The thing I caution everybody is, that is not us 24-7, that's us in our work environment. Just like if you work in a high-stress job, you're probably not the most personable person while you're at work. There's two sides to our life, the professional side and the personal side and there's a big difference between the two.
He visited four states in two days, maintained good humor and a saint's patience during a nine-hour photo shoot, held an appreciation dinner, spent invaluable time with a terminally ill friend, signed autographs and posed for photos at a huge sponsor event and indulged a full two days of media requests -- all before getting to the race track for "work."..
And it's not just the high-profile events. Stewart is very active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and NASCAR Foundation, typically spending time with sick children at every race venue all season long. He is equally active and helpful behind the scenes when the cameras aren't rolling.During a recent race weekend, Stewart came to see a very sick young man -- a Make-A-Wish Foundation patient -- who was waiting for his special moment with the driver in a private room in the track media center. The young man was in a wheelchair and barely able to speak. And during the visit itself, as Stewart spoke with him, the child's health was deteriorating so rapidly that an ambulance was called and a stretcher readied to take him to a hospital as soon as Stewart's time with him concluded. It was heartbreaking.
It's a great read if you like NASCAR and/or if you are an aspiring driver, like my son. I am sure this article also can be played out in other sports like football, baseball and basketball and how their athletes are kept just as busy or busier off the field than on it
This picture is probably not a highlight of Tony Stewart's day, but if you are going to be a star in NASCAR, it is something you have to put up with.
No comments:
Post a Comment