NASCAR Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart was born on May 20, 1971.
Stewart has had a long successful career on the racing circuit. He first became a national name as the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1996, and later as the Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 1999.
On the NASCAR circuit, he has won three Sprint Cup Series Championships in 2002, 2005 and 2011. An outspoken racer who doesn't shy away from verbal spats, he's become one of the most polarizing figures in racing.
Stewart's career lowlight came in 2014, when he killed a 20-year-old racer during a dirt track race. Stewart struck the driver who had crashed and walked out onto the raceway. Despite their conflict, Stewart maintained that the killing was an accident, and an investigation turned up no wrongdoing on Stewart's part.
Stewart later said that the accident was one of the worst experiences of his life. It will always be a footnote on an otherwise impressive pro racing career.
