WWE legend Steve Austin puts new focus into full gear: 'I’ll race ‘til I die'

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

For years, the pro wrestler known as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin terrorized opponents, blew the roof off arenas when he entered the ring, and delighted fans with his beer-drinking and not giving a damn about anyone attitude while in WWE.

Those days appear to be long gone. Aside from the one-off appearance at WrestleMania 38 where he had an impromptu match with Kevin Owens, Austin has not been in the ring or even around the company. Instead, he’s been focusing on his passion projects – growing and cultivating Broken Skull Ranch, making the tremendous Broken Skull Beer, and racing side-by-sides in the Valley Off Road Racing Association (VORRA).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Steve Austin talks to his team in his Kawasaki KRX 1000. (Jeff Waldaias and Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A..)

Austin, 59, is in his second season competing in VORRA’s sportsman division. He competed in five races last season and won last October.

The sudden turn from being the "Rattlesnake" to being a driver in long-distance racing, like in VORRA, appears to be strange on the outside looking in. But for Austin, he got hooked on it when he did his first "poker run," which is when the racers pre-run the track and mark out possible dangerous terrain on the long-distance desert courses.

"I got introduced to it last year and this is my second year of racing," he explained to Fox News Digital. "I made a lot of progress, still need to make more progress. But at this stage in my life, I guess they always say, better late than never. And I’m glad I finally found it because it fills a void of my competitive nature.

WWE STEALS SHOW AT FANATICS FEST WITH