Tony Stewart had just completed the longest day of his life, racing 1,100 miles in the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, all on the same day.
Stewart was helped from his car just outside the garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway and immediately collapsed to the ground, exhausted, spent and drained of every ounce of adrenaline and competitive fire that it took to accomplish the incredible feat.
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With a throng of media and teammates surrounding him, someone began pushing and shoving their way through the crowd.