Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett and Richard Freeman Launch Groundbreaking TSR Elite Alliance
A new era in NHRA Top Fuel competition is taking shape as 3-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion and NHRA Top Fuel winner Tony Stewart, 12-time Top Fuel event winner Leah Pruett, and Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman formally unveiled the next evolution of their partnership: a powerful, business-driven Top Fuel alliance under the TSR Elite banner.
The collaboration brings together Tony Stewart Racing’s nitro program and Elite Motorsports’ growing drag racing empire, anchored by Stewart’s full-time Top Fuel campaign with backing from R+L Carriers, and Pruett’s highly anticipated return to Top Fuel competition.
At the heart of this announcement is a shared belief that the future of professional drag racing lies not just in performance on the track, but in deep, sustained business-to-business (B2B) value for partners.
People, Partners and a New Way of Doing Business
For Pruett, the story begins with people.
“When you talk about any type of motorsports, you’re thinking of pieces and parts and people,” Pruett said. “This really starts with the people. We work incredibly hard to win, but if you don’t enjoy who you’re doing it with—and if the program isn’t sustainable—everyone eventually quits and moves on.”
Over the past several years, Stewart and Pruett have built a close relationship with Freeman and Elite Motorsports. That relationship has now evolved into a formal TSR Elite marketing and competition alliance, combining Stewart’s nitro operations with Elite’s Pro Stock, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, and now Top Fuel assets.
“We’re not just competing; we’re collaborating,” Pruett emphasized. “At eye level, it looks like pure competition—TSR vs. Elite, husband vs. wife. But the real battle is down here; collaboration is at the top. That’s how you build something sustainable.”
A key part of the new structure is the appointment of Michelle Damagala as Vice President of Operations for Elite Motorsports, a move announced by Freeman as a major step in scaling the alliance’s business and organizational capabilities.
“I’ve been trying to get Michelle to join us for about five years,” Freeman said. “We couldn’t be more excited to have her as Vice President of Operations. With Michelle, Leah, Tony, Sarah and our whole group, we’re building something very different from the traditional model.”
Richard Freeman’s Vision: Racing as the Smallest Piece of the Pie
Freeman, whose Elite Motorsports organization has become a powerhouse in Pro Stock and beyond, views this new phase as a fundamental rethinking of how professional drag racing survives and grows.
“I spend almost every day working for our partners,” Freeman explained. “People don’t just write checks to put their name on a race car anymore. The racing is just a piece of the pie—and honestly, it’s the smallest piece.”
Instead, the TSR Elite alliance is built around finding ways to solve real business problems for its partners—whether it’s logistics, fleet operations, safety, procurement, or internal engagement.
Pruett, who came up the hard way through the sport fighting for rides and sponsorships, put it bluntly:
“The problem isn’t ‘how do I find a budget for my race car?’ That’s too narrow. You need to take your partners’ problems and make them your problems. When you help solve their issues—through B2B connections, operational value, and genuine business impact—then you solve yours.”
With major partners like R+L Carriers operating massive fleets and workforces, the alliance is digging deep into everything from PPE and lubricants to housing, logistics, and equipment.
“You become a micro-professional in each partner’s world,” Pruett said. “We do that dozens of times over. That’s where the sustainability is.”
Tony Stewart: “Groundbreaking” Model and a New Top Fuel Chapter
For Stewart, the collaboration began with a phone call from Freeman—and a challenge to think differently.
“This whole program came in two phases, starting with the marketing side,” Stewart said. “Richard came to us with the idea of merging our programs from a partner standpoint. It took me a while to get my brain to think outside the box, but what he’s doing is truly different.”
By bundling two Nitro teams, multiple Pro Stock operations, Mountain Motor cars, and Pro Mod assets, TSR Elite can offer corporate partners a scalable, multi-level activation platform—whether they’re investing six figures or many millions.
“Collectively, we have something for everyone,” Stewart continued. “It’s a groundbreaking way of doing things. I think people are going to have to adopt models like this going forward if they want to compete at a high level, properly, without cutting corners.”
On top of that, Stewart will be back in a full-time Top Fuel seat with R+L Carriers, while Pruett returns to Top Fuel with her long-time crew led by Neil Strasbaugh and Mike Damagala.
“I got fired at the end of the year by my own wife from my own race team,” Stewart joked. “But thanks to Leah and Richard, I’ve got a car to drive next year. The hard part is I have to race against her now. That’s going to be fun—for everyone else at least.”
Family, Rivalry and a New Kind of Paddock
The 2026 NHRA season will see something truly unique: husband and wife racing head-to-head in Top Fuel, under a shared business umbrella but as fierce on-track rivals.
“I’ve been on the sidelines for two years and I’ve been so impressed with Tony’s driving,” Pruett said. “Now I want a shot at beating him. That’s a big part of what drives me back—the challenge, and the chance to say I’ve beaten Tony Stewart in a Top Fuel race.”
Freeman isn’t shy about stirring the pot.
“I think you’re going to see an ***-whooping coming,” he laughed. “Tony’s going to have to be okay with sleeping on the couch. We’ve had a lot of fun with that behind the scenes.”
But behind the banter lies a new vision for how hospitality and partner engagement will look in the pits.
“We’re going to start out with traditional hospitality,” Freeman said, “but it’s going to look different and feel different. We want our partners out among our competitors’ partners, talking, networking, building real business. We believe that’s going to pay big dividends for everybody.”
Selling the Experience: Why Fans Need to Be Trackside
As NHRA enters its 75th season, Stewart believes the sport has a huge—and still largely untapped—upside.
“What NASCAR does in three and a half hours, drag racing does in three and a half seconds,” Stewart said. “That drama, intensity, and split-second decision-making is condensed into less than four seconds.”
For Stewart, there is simply no substitute for seeing NHRA racing in person.
“In NASCAR, you might be better off watching from home,” he admitted. “But in drag racing, it’s ten times better at the track than on TV. When you buy a ticket, you can go almost everywhere. You can stand in the pits while teams rebuild engines, feel the nitro, see and hear the cars up close. You literally feel your insides move when a Top Fuel car goes by. There’s nothing else like it.”
That raw, sensory experience will be highlighted in a new behind-the-scenes series on the Vice network, following NHRA personalities—including Stewart and Pruett—through the weeks leading up to the Gatornationals.
“It’s huge for drag racing,” Stewart said. “People will finally see the tuners, crew chiefs, data, and family life behind the four-second run.”
Pro Stock, Pro Mod and What’s Next
While Top Fuel is the headline, Elite Motorsports is far from done expanding its footprint elsewhere. Freeman continues to invest heavily in Pro Stock and Pro Mod, debuting new cars and programs even as he builds the TSR Elite alliance.
“That’s still on the burner for me,” Freeman said. “Having a Dodge in Pro Stock would be fantastic, and I think 2027 could be exciting. I’m going to have Tony Stewart in a Pro Stock car somehow, some way.”
Stewart, who has already tested with Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield, is more than open to the idea.
“Richard doesn’t do anything halfway,” Stewart said. “When he decides to do something, he’s all in. That’s what makes it fun to be part of his program. I absolutely want more laps in a Pro Stock car.”
A New Template for the Future of Drag Racing
Between the TSR Elite alliance, a family rivalry at 330 mph, an expanded B2B-driven business model, and new media exposure, Stewart, Pruett, and Freeman believe they’re building more than just another superteam—they’re designing a template for how modern drag racing can thrive.
“It’s going to take all of us to keep doing what we love,” Freeman said. “We’re not just trying to survive another season. We’re trying to show what the next version of this sport can look like—for teams, for partners, and for fans.”
As Stewart put it:
“You’ve got to live this. You’re either all in or all out. We’re all in.”
“You’ve got to live this. You’re either all in or all out. We’re all in.”
