December 8th 2023

Stewart moving into Top Fuel as he and Pruett look to start a family

Leah Pruett has made the decision to step out of her NHRA Top Fuel dragster in 2024 as she and husband Tony Stewart focus on starting a family, with Stewart taking over her driving seat.

Pruett, who finished second to Doug Kalitta in the championship last season in a winner-take-all season finale, is not pregnant. However, she doesn’t want to disrupt her Tony Stewart Racing team during the season as those plans move forward. In the meantime, Pruett will compete in the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in early February.

Stewart will move into the Top Fuel ranks driving Pruett’s car. He ran a full season of NHRA Top Alcohol with McPhillips Racing last season.

“Drag racing has been an important part of my life for over three quarters of my life,” Pruett said. “27 years of racing in the NHRA has molded who I am and I am extremely grateful for the life it has given me. Through a long series of thought processes and a decision that did not happen overnight, I feel that stepping out of the seat right now is what’s best for myself and Tony to start a family.

“This has been one of the most difficult decisions to make because of what we have collectively created at TSR; a highly successful program and enjoyable operation. I had the best finish of my entire career. To step away from that can be a challenging move, but I had already made up my mind long before we were deep in the championship hunt. I’m excited about how competitive this team is, developed through the leadership of Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala, and to be able to have Tony compete in a very safe, vetted and well-performing car with an established team makes my heart happy.”

Pruett earned two victories in 2023. A runner-up finish in the Top Fuel championship was a career-best.

“Our final-round appearance at the World Finals brought me the closest I’ve ever been to fulfilling a life-long dream of winning a Top Fuel world championship,” Pruett said. “We were so close that we could taste it, but it wasn’t our time. Ultimately, it will be up to the Lord if we are blessed with what so many share as their greatest joy in life, a family of their own. While Tony and I prefer to keep our personal lives private, we’re honored to share in this announcement with our partners, team members, and fans.

“There are no guarantees or promises on when I will be back in the seat, but I have every intention of returning as soon as I can. Everything in my heart says that I will return to driving Top Fuel as soon as I feel ready, especially after being so close to winning it all this year. For now, I am thrilled that Tony is getting a well-performing, safe car with an excellent caliber of people, both personally and professionally.”

Stewart finished second in the NHRA Top Alcohol championship after earning four victories across the regional and national events. In the move to Top Fuel in the Dodge/SRT Direct Connection dragster, Stewart will work with crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala. His debut in the Top Fuel class will be in the season-opening events at Gainesville in early March.

“I am very proud of my wife,” Stewart said. “To make a decision like this has got to be extremely hard. I don’t think from a male’s perspective that we can fully grasp it. To be a competitive, professional race car driver and have to make the decision to take yourself out of the seat to start a family is not a position most males would want to be put in.

“We had discussed starting a family and this was her decision. In those discussions, we came to the conclusion that the timing was up to her. I was very supportive as to whether she wanted to do it now or years from now. I’m very humbled that Leah and Neal felt I was the driver to fill in for her. I feel honored that I can do that for my wife and this team.”

Pruett, 35, and Stewart, 52, started dating in 2020 and were married in the fall of 2021.

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