Tony Stewart has been tearing up the NHRA Top Fuel scene lately, clinching the 2025 regular-season title and leading the Countdown to the Championship after back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Joliet. His wife, Leah Pruett, handed him the wheel back in 2024 when she stepped away to focus on their family, leaving a significant gap in the Tony Stewart Racing lineup.

Before her break, Pruett was a formidable force with 12 Top Fuel victories and a career-best third place in the 2023 points standings, cementing her role as the team’s cornerstone driver. That shift allowed Tony to dive into drag racing full-time, but now the ripples from her absence are stirring fresh talks in the garage.

Pruett stayed close to the action despite her hiatus, managing marketing efforts and technical adjustments with the crew while welcoming son Dominic in November 2024. Her early test at Richmond this year reignited that competitive fire, showing she retains the edge that made her a standout. Meanwhile, Tony’s impressive rookie honors in 2024 and dominance this season highlight how smoothly he stepped up, yet the team’s roots run deep with Pruett at the helm. As whispers grow about the future of the TSR dragster, one development stands out for shaking up the racing dynamic.

Leah Pruett’s comeback clouds Tony’s drag racing path

In a recent Xpost by Jenna Fryer, buzz around Leah Pruett’s 2026 return to the TSR Top Fuel seat has everyone watching Tony Stewart’s next move. After filling in admirably since her hiatus, Tony’s 2025 campaign, including clinching the regular-season crown at the U.S. Nationals, has him atop the points, but her comeback means reclaiming her ride. “I’d first like to thank Tony, the team, and our partners for allowing me the necessary time on my hiatus to start our family, learn motherhood, and welcome me back,” Pruett shared, highlighting the support that let her focus on Dominic while Tony handled racing duties.

After a family break, Leah Pruett’s #NHRA comeback is set for 2026 following birth of her son ⁦@LeahPruett_TF⁩ ⁦@TonyStewart⁩ https://t.co/paHrDZjLza pic.twitter.com/jvYHuScMis

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) September 9, 2025

This gratitude underscores her pivotal pre-break role where she notched 12 wins and nearly clinched a title—setting an incredibly high standard that Tony met but now might hand back. Pruett’s decision to return follows her Richmond test, proving she’s ready to slide back into the Dodge//SRT Direct Connection dragster alongside crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala. Tony, Rookie of the Year in 2024 with two wins so far this year, has thrived in her absence, but the setup was always temporary.

“She’s done such an amazing job of becoming a mother and going through a whole year of pregnancy and our first year with Dominic. I know deep down inside that she wants to drive that race car really bad, so I’m just excited to see her get that opportunity again,” Tony said, revealing his support but hinting at wrapping up his stint. His words reflect the family’s balance, with Pruett contributing off-track to keep TSR sharp, but her return signals the end of his driving chapter there.

Dodge CEO Matt McAlear captured the sentiment perfectly, noting the seamless handoff: “We appreciate the incredible job that team owner and motorsports legend Tony Stewart is doing filling in for Leah in the race car as the couple starts their family with son Dominic, and we will continue to root for Tony as he fights for the 2025 NHRA Top Fuel championship. But Tony has always said it was Leah’s race car, and we totally support the Stewarts’ decision,” he stated.

This backs the view that the dragster belongs to Pruett long-term, built on her 14-year career starting at age 8 and peaking with that third-place points finish in 2023. As the dust settles on Tony’s impressive 2025 season and Leah gears up for her 2026 return, Tony has been reflecting on his storied racing career, getting real about the one thing that’s always nagged him.

Stewart gets brutally honest on his biggest racing regret

Tony Stewart doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing the highs and lows of his racing life; a raw passion has fueled him since his dirt track days. In an interview with FloRacing ahead of the 2025 World 100 at Eldora Speedway, which he owns, Tony opened up about the one regret that has stayed with him: never qualifying for this iconic event.

You can hear the mix of disappointment and admiration in his voice as he said, “It’s pretty damn high, in all honesty. I mean, especially when you own the racetrack, but it’s, yeah, you know, I never, you know, I led the dream, and Scott Bloomquist and I had one of the best duels at a dream that I’ve ever seen, but yeah, the world, the only time, the first, I remember the first time I came to the World 100, we were literally parked by Earl’s house because there were, I think, 212 entries or something.” It’s clear this wasn’t just a casual miss; owning Eldora made it personal, and it shows how deeply racing runs in his blood, even as he navigates this shift back to the sidelines in drag racing.

That regret highlights Tony’s competitive fire, the same drive that propelled him through NASCAR championships, IndyCar wins, and now into NHRA Top Fuel. Yet it also reflects how the sport can leave you wanting more, no matter how many trophies you win.

He explained the intense qualifying sessions, saying, “And back then, it was when they had two rounds of single-lap qualifying. And you want to talk about intense qualifying sessions, but yeah, it was I who got to run a non-qualified feature. That was as close as I got. So I didn’t even get to the program to run a heat race.” Wrapping up, he added, “But it’s cool, and it just shows that, you know, the World 100, by far, I feel like, is one of the hardest races to make for sure.” Hearing him speak like this, especially as he hands the dragster back to Leah, reveals his team-player mindset—he wants her to get her chance to chase victories, knowing well how regrets linger when you miss opportunities.