Tony Stewart, three-time NASCAR champion, displayed a different side of his personality Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after attending a high-stakes competition
meeting at the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters near the NASCAR
epicenter in North Carolina, Stewart decompressed for over two hours at
the Small Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center in the rolling hills of
Northeast Tennessee.
Stewart not only chatted with a group of wide-eyed
special needs children, he helped lead their horses around the barn. He
also posed for family photos, signed autographs and shared personal
stories.
“This place is really close to my heart because I
have a cousin who has a similar situation,” Stewart said. “To see how
programs like this help children, it’s much bigger than what we’re doing
with racing.”
Stewart became so enamored with the young riders
that he had to be pulled away at the last second to conduct a scheduled
satellite interview with ESPN.
“To see how these kids connect with their horses and
ponies is pretty cool,” Stewart said. “We over complicate our lives a
lot of times. It’s neat to be able to detach from all that and make life
simpler for a couple hours.”
