Tony Stewart, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, once shared an unforgettable tale that still haunts his memories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, known among fans as the Brickyard. His Tony Stewart Brickyard ghost story, echoing the track‘s eerie reputation, continues to intrigue racing enthusiasts and cements the Speedway’s reputation for unexplainable phenomena.
A Haunting Night at the Speedway: Stewart Faces the Unknown
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway stands as an icon of American motorsport, but its long and eventful history is intertwined with legends of tragedy and speculation about supernatural activity. Before Tony Stewart made his move to NASCAR Cup racing with Joe Gibbs Racing in 1999, the track had already earned whispers of being haunted, with decades of incidents giving rise to chilling rumors. Though the last recorded fatal accident occurred in 2015, spectral stories remain active in the lore of the Brickyard.
Like many drivers at the time, Stewart brushed off talk of ghosts—until a night in 1999, when his plans to stay overnight in pursuit of the demanding “Double” shifted his beliefs. The Double required crossing between two legendary races: the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500, racing at Charlotte before arriving at Indianapolis to run the famed 500-mile race. Stewart, given rare permission to stay inside the Speedway overnight, would soon face an experience that went beyond adrenaline or imagination.
“I’m telling you that night there was so much stuff going on,”
Tony Stewart described.
“I was going looking around like you’re gonna see somebody at some point or groups of people; it was that loud. And it was like there’s nothing moving; you physically cannot see anything, but you close your eyes, and you can hear everything.”
– Tony Stewart, Champion Driver
His narrative still unsettles listeners, as he recounted how the Brickyard seemed to come alive with presence and sound, even though he was alone inside those historic grounds. The feeling lingered, impossible to shake, making him a believer—at least for one extraordinary night.
“I got back about 1:00 in the morning from running in at Charlotte, and I’m not joking, it was alive. The whole place was alive. I’ve told this story to people, and they look at you like, ‘Come on, man,’ and the amount of noise that was inside that place and the activity you could hear was like a movie filled with dreams.”
– Tony Stewart, Champion Driver
This experience, witnessed inside a facility 116 years old and thought by many to be patrolled by unseen forces, left its mark on Stewart. Despite not completing the Double that year, as he finished just four laps short at Indianapolis in the No. 22 Tri-Star Motorsports car, the event became legendary in NASCAR circles for reasons beyond racing heroics alone.
Stewart’s Return and Enduring Legacy in Motorsports
For Stewart, that eerie night was not the end. Determined not to let the unexplained stand in his way, he returned for another shot at the Double in 2001, demonstrating perseverance and resilience in the face of discomfort and myth. His achievements as both a driver and NASCAR team owner are part of his storied career. At the close of 2024, he stepped aside from his leadership role with Stewart-Haas Racing to focus on drag racing, leaving behind an enduring influence at every level of the sport.
Yet, Stewart’s chilling encounter continues to circulate, growing into part of the legendary mystique of Indianapolis Motor Speedway—fascinating fans and fueling ongoing curiosity about the unexplored corners of racing history.
Other Ghostly Legends: Dale Earnhardt’s Nighttime Encounter
While Stewart’s Tony Stewart Brickyard ghost story is memorable, he is not the only legendary NASCAR name to have reported a ghostly brush at Indianapolis. Seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, known as The Intimidator, is central to another iconic tale whispered among racing fans. As the story goes, Earnhardt once took a solitary motorcycle ride around the Speedway after hours. When he returned down pit road, those present noted his pale expression, suggesting he had seen something that unnerved even one of racing’s bravest competitors.
Though the details are part legend and have never been officially confirmed, this tale is retold among fans as an example of the Brickyard’s strange power over even the toughest drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr., himself a significant presence in NASCAR and recognized for his own ghost stories, once shared a chilling episode that took place on his father’s property, suggesting that the Earnhardt family’s brushes with the supernatural extend beyond one generation and location.
These anecdotes, whether fact or folklore, contribute to the unshakable reputation of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as more than just an arena for speed and engineering—it is a place where the boundaries of reality and myth blur.
The Brickyard’s Enduring Reputation for the Unexplained
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, affectionately called the Brickyard, is woven into the collective memory of racing fans not only for its legacy of competition but for the mysteries that linger after the crowds depart. Tony Stewart’s vivid recollections, alongside stories tied to Dale Earnhardt, reinforce the belief that something unique—and possibly supernatural—defines the track’s empty hours.
No matter the truth behind these tales, they ensure that Indianapolis remains a place where history, competition, and the unknown intersect, keeping both fans and drivers in suspense about what really emerges when the gates close and only memories and echoes fill the stands.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 116 years old, and many people believe supernatural energy and spirits roam the track
Tony Stewart told the story of a night he spent there alone, and how the place came alive when empty pic.twitter.com/7gjFXcLLJT
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) October 31, 2025
Anyone hear of the story where Big E took a lap around Indy on a motorcycle at night and when he came back around down pit road he was as white as a ghost his people said. As if he seen something he wasn’t suppose too. Haha
— JohnQ (@quincyduckworth) October 31, 2025
