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Interview

Tony Stewart "honored" by surprise guest at NASCAR Awards

On April 21, Tony Stewart met Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder prior to the band’s appearance in Columbia, South Carolina.

Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing and Eddie Vedder

Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing and Eddie Vedder

NASCAR Media

Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
A special tribute to Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
A special tribute to Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
Rick Hendrick, musician Edddie Vedder, Tony Stewart and NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing is congratulated by teams on pit road
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
A special tribute to Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
2016 Champion and race winner Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing

It was a moment that changed the three-time champion’s life.

Now Stewart and Vedder, along with the NASCAR community, look to change the lives of thousands afflicted with Epidermolysis Bullosa.

I was totally blown away and caught off guard. I really don’t know what to say to be honest with you.

Tony Stewart

At Friday night’s Sprint Cup Awards banquet, Vedder surprised Stewart as he was being feted on his retirement. The "gotcha" moment -- Vedder's unscripted introduction of the three-time champion -- was arranged by Stewart’s long-time business manager Eddie Jarvis.

The true surprise

But the true surprise came when championship owner Rick Hendrick announced a $1.8-million donation to Vedder’s favorite charity — the EB Research Partnership — in honor of Stewart’s retirement.

Vedder initially was speechless, but finally exclaimed, “This is un(expletive)-believable.” Then added, "I'll pay the fine."

“When I first heard about it, it was quite hard to grasp the intensity of the condition,” Vedder said of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a devastating skin disorder affecting on in every 50,000 births with no known cure.

“It’s about the most insane skin disorder you could imagine. And when you realize it also affects the internal organs, you see it as diabolical. It’s very hard to describe until you meet the young folks with it, and they make you realize how much you take for granted.

“You also realize that these are some of the strongest, coolest, most admirable people on the face of the Earth.”

Moving forward from setback

Stewart had been sidelined for the first eight races of the 2016 Sprint Cup season following a dune buggy accident in January. He suffered a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra. It wasn’t the first time Stewart overcame tremendous odds to return to a race car but now in his mid-40s, the challenge was increasingly difficult.

Seeing Vedder prior to Stewart’s return to competition at Richmond in April was an inspiration to the driver, who was about to embark on his final season in stock cars. Vedder recounted the tragedy that occurred at a Pearl Jam concert in 2000 when nine fans were killed in a mosh pit in Denmark.

“He said how devastating it was for him,” Stewart said of Vedder’s experience. “He said how hard it was for him to get back on the road, but once they did it, they were glad they did. That’s what helped me — kind of with that same attitude of, ‘I just got to do this again and get started.’

“That’s why I just can’t believe that he’s here.”

Stewart went on to win his 49th-career Cup race and qualify for the Chase in his farewell season. He also became involved in the EB Research Partnership.

Still, nothing could prepare him for what happened at the Wynn Resort on Friday.

“I’m glad I didn’t start drinking after I made my deal because I thought I was done,” Stewart said. “But I was totally blown away and caught off guard. I really don’t know what to say to be honest with you.

“I’m really honored that Eddie Vedder would come here for this and I’m really excited that the racing community raised that kind of money to help that charity. It’s a big deal. And when I found out about it, it became a big deal for me, too. This is a great start and we’re going to keep plugging away and raise more money for it. It’s a very important charity to him and his wife. When you meet people like him that are that passionate about something, it immediately makes you want to be as passionate as well. That’s why we got involved.”

It’s not surprising that Stewart’s last act as a NASCAR driver would be charitable. Over the last two decades, his untold contributions have been many. Stewart believes this latest donation from his peers will go a long way to finding a cure for EB.

Jimmie Johnson's thoughts

Even seven-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson got into the act.

"I did play a role in the donation," Johnson said. "I did know that Eddie was going to be here. Being as close to Tony and his whole group of people, I knew what was coming. I felt pretty honored to be one of just a handful of people that knew what was going down. It was a special moment.

"We were convinced we were going to have tears out of Stewart for once -- and it didn't happen. Not that I feel like we came up short, we were convinced we were going to have to carry him up on our stage. He composed himself pretty well. His smile just kept getting bigger and bigger."

After Stewart took pictures with the media and said his final good-byes, he walked out of the room arm-in-arm with Jarvis who whispered, “I gotcha, didn’t I.”

“Yes, you did,” Stewart replied.

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