NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart to Host Live Talk Show Exclusively on SIRIUS Satellite Radio
'Tony Stewart Live' will air weekly on SIRIUS' upcoming 24/7 NASCAR Channel SIRIUS will be the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR starting in 2007

5-19-2006

NEW YORK, May 19, 2006 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- SIRIUS Satellite Radio, the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR starting in 2007, announced today that two-time and reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Tony Stewart -- one of the sport's most exciting and outspoken drivers -- will host a live weekly talk show exclusively on SIRIUS.

Debuting in January, Tony Stewart Live will air exclusively on SIRIUS' upcoming 24/7 NASCAR channel, providing SIRIUS listeners with the ultimate insider's perspective on auto racing. The weekly, two-hour show will feature Stewart -- who has never been shy about expressing his opinions in 27 years of racing -- taking calls from listeners, talking with prominent guests and covering the spectrum of motorsports -- from NASCAR to open-wheel racing and beyond. Matt Yocum, who is a pit reporter for the NASCAR broadcasts on FOX/FX and NBC/TNT, will be Stewart's co-host on Tony Stewart Live.

Preview editions of Tony Stewart Live, hosted by Stewart, will begin airing exclusively on SIRIUS in October 2006. Stewart will also be featured in SIRIUS' NASCAR related marketing and advertising.

Beginning next year, SIRIUS will be the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR, broadcasting all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races live on a specially created, 24/7 NASCAR channel.

"It's an honor to be a part of SIRIUS and its commitment to NASCAR," said Stewart. "Our show will allow us to speak with the fans on our terms, where we're free to talk about anything and everything, from racing and rock-and- roll to our travels across America. It's a unique opportunity, and we plan to make the most of it."

"NASCAR will be one of the cornerstones of SIRIUS' programming, and with Tony anchoring our NASCAR channel, we will provide the most expert and compelling coverage of the sport," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS' President, Entertainment and Sports. "Tony will have the freedom to run this show the same way he runs the track in his #20 car -- fast, aggressive and willing to trade a little paint with our listeners."

Stewart is a two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, having won the title in 2002 and 2005, and with his second championship, he became one of only 14 drivers in the history of NASCAR to win multiple Cup Series titles. In addition to his achievements on the NASCAR circuit, Stewart is the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and in USAC's Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown divisions.

In 1980 at the age of eight, Stewart won his first championship -- a 4-cycle rookie junior class championship in his hometown of Columbus, Ind. By 1989, after two more national karting championships, Stewart had moved on to open-wheeled machines, racing Three-Quarter Midgets. He turned his attention to the USAC ranks in 1991, where he was named Rookie of the Year. Stewart won his first USAC championship in the National Midget category in 1994, and in 1995, he made USAC history by achieving the sport's Triple Crown -- winning the National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown titles all in the same year -- a feat that had never been accomplished before. In 1996, he moved to the IRL IndyCar Series where he won Rookie of the Year honors before capturing the IndyCar Series championship in 1997.

While racing Indy cars, Stewart also began dabbling in stock cars. He ran nine NASCAR Busch Series races in 1996. There, his versatility was noticed by Joe Gibbs -- the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the Washington Redskins and the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. By 1997, Stewart was a member of Joe Gibbs Racing, running five Busch Series races before a 22-race Busch Series slate in 1998. In 1999, Stewart moved to the pinnacle of motorsports -- the Nextel Cup Series. During an extraordinary rookie campaign, Stewart won three races, was crowned Rookie of the Year and became the first driver to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Currently, Stewart has 25 Nextel Cup wins, 10 poles, 100 top-fives and 156 top-10s in 259 career starts.

Outside of his driving duties, Stewart is both a car owner and a track owner. Tony Stewart Motorsports fields a World of Outlaws team that won the series championship in 2001, a USAC team that fields entries in the Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown divisions, and a USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series team. Eldora Speedway, the premier grassroots motorsports venue in the country, is also Stewart's, as he purchased the 52-year-old half-mile, clay oval in late 2004.

While Stewart is passionate about racing, he is equally passionate about philanthropy. In 2003, he formed "The Tony Stewart Foundation," through which he raises funds that are distributed to organizations that actively support children's organizations, animal rescue groups and injured race car drivers.

Stewart, single, still calls Columbus home, where he lives in the house he grew up in. He has a sister Natalie, who helps run the Tony Stewart Fan Club, along with their mom, Pam Boas, who also runs the Foundation. His father, Nelson, oversees Stewart's portfolio of properties while assisting the race teams on a day-to-day basis.