Tony Stewart is no stranger to being involved with massive motorsports events. In addition to his 17-year NASCAR Cup Series career, the driver known as “Smoke” has promoted one-of-a-kind events like the Eldora Million at Eldora Speedway, the dirt track racing facility he purchased in 2004. 

In 2024, Stewart will be involved in a new motorsports event that is shaping up to be something like we’ve never seen before. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Stewart was among the guests participating in a press conference at FloSports headquarters in Austin, Texas to announce the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout drag racing event on February 8-10, 2024 at Bradenton Motorsports Park. 

RELATED: What Is The PRO Superstar Shootout?

Stewart, the owner of Tony Stewart Racing, stepped foot into the drag racing world in 2022 with a pair of full-time NHRA entries. He currently fields a Top Fuel car for his wife, Leah Pruett, and a Funny Car for Matt Hagan. Additionally, Stewart collected his first career NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster victory in April. 

Needless to say, like everything else he put his hands on, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has gone all-in on drag racing. 

The announcement of the PRO Superstar Shootout, an event promoted by the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) and Drag Illustrated, is something that Stewart believes will be extremely beneficial to the sport of drag racing. 

“This event is a perfect example of what this board is all about and what their intentions are and how they're trying to raise and elevate not only the awareness but the excitement level of drag racing,” Stewart said during the press conference.

“We all love money but money comes and goes. It pays bills and no more than we get in our hands, we spend it on parts and pieces. The bigger thing is really the prestige of being the one that wins the biggest drag race in history so for all these teams and drivers that are going to Bradenton to compete, this is a huge, huge event for them.”

While the racing itself will be worth the price of admission, the event as a whole is shaping up to be epic. The planned activities outside of the drag strip have Stewart just as excited as the on-track action that will be on display. 

“We've talked about the racing, but this is going to be six days of a huge event,” he stated. “There's going to be bands, there's going to be excitement, there's going to be lots of things for the fans to do other than just watch race cars go up and down the strip. 

“It wasn't just about the racing, it's about how do we create a really cool experience for these fans that are going to be there to see it and be a part of it with us. How do we make this bigger than life? Like Erica [Enders] said, it's going to be an epic event no doubt.”

Stewart has also been impressed with the way members of the drag racing industry have come together to put together an event of this magnitude. At the end of the day, everyone involved with the PRO Superstar Shootout has been focused on one thing: creating the biggest drag racing event ever. 

“It's been incredible to sit there and take a bunch of competitive co-racers, who always want to put their foot on each other's throat and hold them down and beat them each week, to sit there and watch them in these meetings as we've all discussed this event and how to promote a great event,” Stewart said. “This isn't about us individually, this is about us as a group trying to make the sport even that much better than it already is, so hopefully we can get new eyes on drag racing and get new people to come out to the races.”

Watch Full PRO Superstar Shootout Press Conference

The inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park will be streamed live on FloRacing. As someone who is already partnered with FloRacing through Eldora Speedway and the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions, Stewart is excited to have FloRacing as the streaming partner for this massive event. 

“I can promise you everything that Flo puts their hands on turns to gold. I mean you look at this facility, I was there at their original facility and to see how much Flo has grown. They didn't grow this way by making bad decisions. They know how to do it right, they know how to take care of every sport they're covering, they don't leave any stone unturned and it really is going to bring an aspect into drag racing that I feel like they've touched on a little bit, but Flo is going to expand on all the stuff that really shows these drivers and team’s personalities and what their individual story is behind their team and their organization.”

More information about the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout, including drivers who will be competing in the event, will be released in the days, weeks and months to come.