Tony Stewart is talking the talk. And in his world, that could go a long way in his ability to walk the walk.
Multiple media outlets reported that Stewart, the three-time Sprint Cup champion, declared that he is ready to move past the last two years of his racing career.
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"When they counted down 2014, I was never so happy to see that number off the calendar," Stewart said Tuesday during the Stewart-Haas Racing stop on the annual NASCAR media tour, according to The Sporting News. "I'm ready to put the last two years behind me and never look back. I'm not looking in the mirror, I'm not talking about it, I'm not thinking about it. I'm going back to being me again."
That entails a healthier mind and body. As far as the body goes, Stewart has had four surgeries on his right leg, the one he broke in August of 2013 that forced him to miss the final 15 races of that season. He still has one surgery remaining on the leg that is scheduled at the end of 2015 to remove the titanium rod attached to his leg.
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Stewart said he feels healthier than he's been since the accident.
As far as the mind goes, Stewart was involved in a nightmarish accident in August of 2014 that claimed the life of Kevin Ward Jr. After the two had a run-in on the track, Ward crashed against the wall, got out of his sprint car and walked toward Stewart's oncoming car, gesturing and pointing at Stewart.
Stewart's right real wheel caught Ward, hurling him some 50 feet forward and killing the 20-year-old.
Stewart, who stayed away from the Spring Cup circuit for three weeks afterward as he mourned, has not returned to dirt-track racing since - although he did volunteer as a track maintenance operator at the Chili Bowl midget races in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"From the personal side, that's the best thing I could have done during the offseason," Stewart said.
He says the circumstances from the last two years has made him as hungry as he's ever been on a race track to get back to winning. Last season marked the first in his 15 years on the circuit that he failed to win a Sprint Car Series race.
"It has made my desire stronger than it's ever been," he said. "I am not happy about the last two years of my life. It's given me more desire and drive to go back and get back to the old form that our fans and our sponsors are used to seeing."
And his team notices also notices the difference in the 43-year-old Stewart.
"He seems to have the piss and vinegar the old Tony Stewart had," SHR vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli told USA TODAY Sports. "I talked to him a lot over the weekend and over the holidays and he seemed very upbeat, very positive."
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