Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Left Shocked by Husband’s Last Minute NASCAR Return
Jan 30, 2026 | 3:41 PM CST
Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Left Shocked by Husband’s Last Minute NASCAR Return
Jan 30, 2026 | 3:41 PM CST
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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 14: Leah Pruett speaks as Tony Stewart looks on during the press conference held at the zMAX Dragway on October 14, 2021 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 14: Leah Pruett speaks as Tony Stewart looks on during the press conference held at the zMAX Dragway on October 14, 2021 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
Tony Stewart and NASCAR are two names that fans expected to never collaborate again. Stewart’s SRX series was a major blow to NASCAR and its audience, and the lawsuit drama further revealed the ugly truth about NASCAR’s attitude towards him. But to everyone’s surprise, Kaulig Racing made the impossible possible by bringing him back to Daytona in a truck, and it was so sudden that even his wife was unable to comprehend his decision.
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Leah Pruett finds out the real motivation behind Tony’s return
When Tony Stewart’s return with Kaulig Racing was announced, there were a lot of theories building around his truce with NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that it was only because of the “fat check” that Kaulig Racing was paying him. But Stewart has revealed the real motivation behind his decision. When explaining his decision to his shocked wife, he said,
“She looked at me and she’s like, ‘Why would you do that?’” Stewart said. “She goes, ‘You’ve always told me it’s about a 70% chance you’re going to get wrecked out of any race at Daytona.’ I told her this is how much the Dodge brand, Stellantis and Ram mean to me. Is it the most ideal race for me to run as a driver? Probably not, in all reality.”
In a way, his return to NASCAR with Stellantis felt like it was predetermined. After all, Stewart and Dodge are close partners in the NHRA. So, for Tony to help Kaulig Racing and Ram reach their target popularity at Daytona was the most obvious option.
“Why not be a part of that?” said Stewart. “Why not help kick off the season for Ram and get this off on the right foot? Hopefully, it brings excitement. Hopefully, it’s the right event to kick everything off and get everyone who is a Ram fan excited about it.”
Leah Pruett had the same reaction as some others did when her husband, Tony Stewart, finalized plans to make his NASCAR return at Daytona.
“She looked at me and she’s like, ‘Why would you do that?’” https://t.co/DECvJiRQYN
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) January 30, 2026
As revealed earlier by Kaulig Racing, Tony Stewart is going to drive the No. 25 free agent car for the team during the first race of the season. He is the first NASCAR legend, among the many others that will follow during the season, according to Kaulig Racing’s plans. But his first and only Truck series race in 2026 is not going to be a path laid with roses. It is going to be as difficult as anyone can imagine for a driver who has not raced in a NASCAR vehicle for the past decade.
What changes the narrative more is that Stewart has only raced six times in the Truck Series and never on a superspeedway. Coming back after more than two decades to race at Daytona will be highly risky and new to him in 2026.
To add to his difficulty, Stewart may not even get enough practice. So in theory, it sounds like a recipe for disaster with even the slightest mistakes. But Stewart is not necessarily afraid of it; in fact, he is open to the challenge.
“What happens if you pull out and try to make a pass? How does the air slow the truck down? It’s variables like that I’m going to have to figure out. But for these kids in the Truck Series, the majority of them are trying to figure out the same things. So, I feel like making that decision to run Daytona was more out of the things that I already know about (superspeedway) racing and the variables that these kids are going to have to learn.”
But what about his experience in the NHRA? How different is that from NASCAR?
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Tony Stewart explains the key differences between NHRA and NASCAR
When Stewart came to Top Fuel in 2024, he was a learner but quick enough to earn the Rookie of the Year award. Fast forward to 2025, and he won two Top Fuel races and even claimed the regular season title with his team, Tony Stewart Racing. In 2026, he will be racing for Elite Motorsports and against his wife, Leah Pruett, in his former seat. So, how does he feel about changing the vehicles and coming back to his old playground?
“I guarantee the acceleration is not going to feel the same, but it doesn’t feel the same when I’m driving through the streets of Lake Havasu or Columbus, Indiana or anything like that.”
There is a massive difference between an NHRA dragster and a NASCAR truck. The first one is made for monster acceleration and short bursts of speed. Meanwhile, the other one is made for pack and sustained racing over a long distance. The Truck series is all about how well you utilize your techniques and racecraft compared to the dragsters, who rely on instant reaction timings.
“The other thing is, you run the dragster down the backstretch at Daytona, you get to the corner, and it’s not going to like trying to go into the corner like the speed we’ll have the trucks going through the corners. So it won’t handle the same. It’s two drastically different cars. The thing about Daytona is it’s not about acceleration at all.
“Once the trucks get up to speed, there’s not a lot of variance in how much mile an hour, plus or minus, you’re going to have once you get up to that speed. The drag racing side is a game of acceleration, and the truck race at Daytona is a game of momentum and working the draft.”
What do you think about Tony Stewart’s return to Daytona? Do you think that Smoke has the chance to smoke the other drivers and pull away from the pack, or will this be a bad decision?