From Heartbreak to Glory
In the high-octane world of NHRA Top Fuel drag racing, where split-second decisions and blistering speed define legacies, Leah Pruett’s journey stands as a testament to resilience. The 37-year-old powerhouse, a 12-time national event winner, has etched her name into the sport’s history not just through her throttle-to-the-floor prowess but through a deeply personal narrative of loss, reinvention, and triumphant return. As she prepares to reclaim her seat in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Direct Connection dragster for the 2026 season, Pruett opens up about the 2023 heartbreak that nearly derailed her career—and how it ultimately fueled her evolution into one of the class’s most formidable forces, now poised to race alongside her husband, NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, in a family-fueled chapter of glory.
The year 2023 was supposed to be Pruett’s crowning moment. After joining TSR in 2022, she piloted the team’s Top Fuel machine to unprecedented heights, securing victories at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, and the Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas. These triumphs propelled her to a career-best third-place finish in the points standings, just one round shy of the world championship at the season finale in Pomona, California. The near-miss stung, but it was nothing compared to the emotional gut punch that followed. As the confetti settled and the engines cooled, Pruett faced a profound personal reckoning: the decision to step away from full-time racing to start a family with Stewart, her husband of two years. “That championship slip was tough, but it paled next to the fear of walking away from something I’d built my life around,” Pruett recalls in a recent interview from the TSR shop in Brownsburg, Indiana. “Racing isn’t just a job—it’s my heartbeat. Stepping back felt like heartbreak, like I was letting down the team, the fans, and myself.”
The announcement came on December 7, 2023, just weeks after that agonizing Pomona defeat. Pruett, who had begun her NHRA journey as an 8-year-old in the Junior Drag Racing League, revealed she would sit out the 2024 season to focus on motherhood. It was a choice born of love and timing—after a whirlwind romance that led to their 2021 wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico, the couple yearned for the patter of little feet amid their high-speed lifestyle. But beneath the optimism lay vulnerability. Pruett, whose career had been a relentless climb from Pro Mod and Nostalgia Funny Car circuits to Top Fuel stardom, worried about irrelevance. “I remember lying awake at night, wondering if I’d ever feel that rush again,” she admits. “The sport moves fast; drivers who pause often fade. That uncertainty? It broke me a little.”
Yet, in true drag racing fashion, Pruett didn’t idle. As Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup champion and 1997 IndyCar titleholder, stepped into her ride—his NHRA Top Fuel debut a bold pivot from oval tracks—she immersed herself in TSR’s operations. The 53-year-old Stewart, no stranger to reinvention, adapted swiftly, clinching the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year honors with a ninth-place points finish. But Pruett was far from sidelined. She dove into marketing partnerships, collaborated on technical tweaks with crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala, and even mentored Stewart through the nuances of nitromethane-fueled fury. “Tony was incredible—patient, precise, a natural,” she says. “Watching him succeed in my car kept the fire alive in me. It reminded me why I fell in love with this: the team, the strategy, the sheer power.”
Life accelerated on November 16, 2024, when son Dominic James Stewart entered the world, a bundle of joy who shifted Pruett’s world irrevocably. Motherhood brought its own exhilarations and exhaustions—sleepless nights, first smiles, the delicate balance of diapers and dyno sheets. Yet, it also reignited her competitive spark. “Holding Dominic, I felt this fierce protectiveness,” Pruett explains. “It mirrored the focus I need in the car: total commitment, no distractions. That 2023 heartbreak? It taught me racing isn’t everything—it’s part of a bigger story. But damn, I missed the adrenaline.” As 2025 unfolded, with Stewart dominating the regular season—claiming wins at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas and the Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, plus the regular-season title at the U.S. Nationals—Pruett’s resolve hardened. She logged test laps, fine-tuning her edge, all while juggling family duties. “Dominic’s my co-pilot now,” she laughs. “He’ll be in the pits, learning the ropes just like I did.”
The comeback announcement on September 9, 2025, electrified the NHRA paddock. Pruett’s return to TSR in 2026, partnering with four-time Funny Car champ Matt Hagan, signals not just a driver’s revival but a dynasty’s dawn. Dodge CEO Matt McAlear called it “like she’s coming home,” praising her as a banner-carrier for the brand since 2016. For Pruett, it’s validation of her growth. She’s no longer just a winner; she’s a standout whose 2023 trials forged unbreakable grit. Teammates hail her as the emotional core of TSR, her technical acumen sharpening the team’s edge. And in a twist of poetic symmetry, Stewart’s own path will intersect hers on the strip. On September 18, TSR revealed plans for a second Top Fuel car, allowing the couple to compete head-to-head—a rare honor for motorsports icons, evoking legends like John Force and his daughters, or the Garlits era of family rivalries.
Pruett’s story resonates beyond the quarter-mile. In a male-dominated sport, her unapologetic blend of ferocity and femininity has inspired a generation. “From that 2023 low, I’ve built something stronger,” she reflects. “Heartbreak motivated me to redefine success—not just trophies, but legacy. Racing with Tony, raising Dominic trackside— this is glory.” As the 2026 season looms, with its 21-race grind from Gainesville to Pomona, Pruett eyes redemption. The near-championship of ’23? Fuel for the fire. With her husband as both rival and rock, she’s not just returning—she’s redefining the throttle. In NHRA’s thunderous symphony, Leah Pruett’s roar is back, louder than ever.
