On Wednesday, Oct. 20 Burger King and motorsports TV broadcaster Matt Yocum teamed up to put Tony Stewart to the test. A polygraph test that is.
Burger King celebrated it’s multi-year sponsorship agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing and driver Stewart by putting him on the hot seat and grilling him with fan inspired questions.
During the live broadcast we not only learned that Stewart really does love the Whopper, which he prefers “without pickles and onions,” but he revealed a few humorous and at times downright embarrassing truths about himself.
Stewart sat strapped into a chair within the confines of a strategically lit interrogation room setting. Suspenseful theme music, a la Who Wants to be a Millionaire, added dramatic flair to the event.
Much like a typical polygraph test, Stewart was asked a series of simple pre-interview questions by certified polygraph examiner John Grogan. This allowed Grogan to collect some preliminary information and would serve as “control questions” in which to gauge Stewart’s truthful responses.
Question: Is your name Tony Stewart?
Answer: Yes
Q: Were you born on May 20?
A: Yes
Grogan indicated that Stewart was being truthful with a big thumbs-up.
Next, the “stim” test was conducted. Stewart was asked to lie so that the examiner could detect deceitful answers during the actual test.
Q: Are you wearing ladies underpants right now?
A: Yes
After a climatic pause, Grogan indicated that Stewart was (thankfully) lying with a thumbs-down.
Once the test began, Stewart was measured for any psychological changes during the questioning, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and electro-dermal activity (sweatiness). Fluctuations in the test indicated when Stewart was being deceptive in his answers.
Over the course of about an hour Stewart answered approximately 35 questions from the absurd to uncomfortably personal.
Some of Tony’s truthful responses included:
Q: Have you ever crank-called another driver?
A: Yes
Q: Have you ever done a donut on private property?
A: Yes
Q: Have you ever cried after losing a race?
A: Yes
Q: Have you ever been rejected by a woman?
A: Yes
Q: Do you know who won the first Daytona 500?
A: No
To Stewart’s credit, he recalled that Lee Petty took the checked flag after his original answer.
At times, Stewart tried to sneak in a few untruths, but Grogan picked up on them right away stating to the audience, "He's a better driver than he is a liar."
Q: Do you ever notice hot women in the stands during a race?
A: No
Stewart admitted, “All right, maybe I do. Maybe during a caution.”
Q: Have you ever cried after a movie of the week?
A: No
Stewart swore that he had no recollection of doing so.
Q: Have you ever gone commando under your fire suit?
A: No
After coming clean, Stewart claimed that he had no clean laundry that day.
Q: When you were a little boy, did you have a special blanket or toy?
A: No
While he was adamant about not having a blanket or toy, Stewart recalled having a pillow that he traveled with as a child.
Q: Do you go out on a lot of dates?
A: No
Stewart professed that "it didn't seem like a lot." Perhaps what society deems “a lot” is not the same as Stewart’s personal interpretation.
Q: Can you walk past a mirror without checking yourself out?
A: Yes
Yocum razzed Stewart about his attempt at lying about his vanity. Stewart ultimately admitted to checking out his hair before driver introductions.
While the test was intended for entertainment purposes only, it was an actual polygraph conducted by a professional examiner. When facilitated correctly and read by a certified polygraph examiner a polygraph can be 80-95 percent accurate.
For Stewart's fans, the truth is now out there.
If you were unable to catch Stewart live in the hot seat or just want to see it again, the pre-recorded replay is still available for your viewing pleasure at truthabouttony.com .
John Grogan is not a "certified polygraph examiner" and is not in fact a polygraph examiner at all. He is a fraud and a disgrace to the polygraph profession.
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