Stewart could had driven for Hendrick in 1997

When Tony Stewart was a hot prospect in the IndyCar Series, Rick Hendrick (whose Hendrick Motorsports team was in the midst of four consecutive Sprint Cup championships from 1995-98) offered him a full-time ride in the Nationwide Series for the 1997 season. Stewart (who had run eight races in NASCAR's second-tier series) declined because he felt his experience didn't merit the ride.

"I just didn't want to make that move too soon and not succeed and lose that opportunity," Stewart said. "As hard as it was, I thanked him and didn't accept that offer. I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. It's the first time I ever was in a situation I had to turn somebody down." It might have turned out for the best. Stewart won the 1997 IndyCar championship, joined Joe Gibbs Racing and won two Cup titles. When he decided to buy into Stewart-Haas Racing two years ago, the deal united him with Hendrick. USA Today