NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart will replace wife Leah Pruett in her NHRA Top Fuel dragster next season as she steps out of the seat for the couple to try to start a family. Here’s what you need to know:

• Pruett finished third in the Top Fuel championship last year, the best result of her 14-year career. But the 35-year-old felt now was her chance to get pregnant after marrying Stewart in November 2021, and that would mean forgoing a competition in which cars travel more than 330 mph.
• Stewart, who started his own Tony Stewart Racing dragster team after marrying Pruett, ran a Top Alcohol car last season. Top Alcohol is one step below the NHRA’s premier level of racing, but is considered the best step for those who want to move into Top Fuel. Stewart finished second in the point standings and won two races.
• Though Stewart owns the car, he said Pruett and crew chief Neal Strausbaugh decided to offer Stewart the ride. “To make a decision like this has got to be extremely hard,” Stewart said. “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.”

Could Stewart be successful in drag racing?

Though Stewart is 52, there’s a much longer runway for competitive racers in NHRA than in forms of racing like NASCAR, F1 or IndyCar. NHRA legend John Force, for example, is still winning races at age 74.

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In truth, Stewart himself should be the team’s biggest weakness. In other words, he’s stepping into a competitive, championship-contending program — so his lack of experience could be the only thing holding them back. But with Pruett coaching him and with experienced teammates like Matt Hagan (who won the 2023 NHRA Funny Car championship), Stewart should be very competitive on a regular basis. His quick adaptation to Top Alcohol showed that much.

What will this do for the NHRA?

For decades, the NHRA and its fans have wondered what it would take for more people to give drag racing a chance. It is extremely fan-friendly (every ticket acts as a pit pass, allowing fans to get up close to the cars while meeting their favorite drivers), an incredible spectacle (with both insane speeds and tremendous sound) and the racing is tailor-made for a short-attention-span world (tournament-style brackets with races that last less than four seconds). Stewart’s presence won’t necessarily elevate NHRA to another level in itself, but increased interest from NASCAR types who are anxious to follow his progress could help lure in new drag racing fans for the future.

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(Photo: Jason Miller / SRX / Getty Images)