Tony Stewart to race against wife Leah Pruett in 2026 as he continues NHRA Top Fuel career
Stewart will turn his seat back over to his wife, who took more than a year off to give birth to their first child
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1 min read
Auto racing legend Tony Stewart announced Thursday he will compete in his third season in NHRA Top Fuel competition in 2026, and in doing so will race against his wife, Leah Pruett. Stewart spent the past two seasons driving in place of Pruett, who had taken more than a year off from racing to give birth to son Dominic, the couple's first child.
In turning the seat of his Tony Stewart Racing dragster back over to Pruett, Stewart will now move to Elite Motorsports to drive for Richard Freeman, who recently purchased the team that had once been owned by Josh Hart. The team will have a marketing alliance with Tony Stewart Racing, though they still need to find funding for Stewart's car.
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After starting his NHRA career by competing full-time in the Top Alcohol class, Stewart took over his wife's top fuel seat beginning in 2024 as they prepared to start a family. After earning NHRA Rookie of the Year honors a year ago, Stewart earned his first career Top Fuel win earlier this year at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, won the regular-season championship, and currently sits second in the championship standings with five races to go.
"I said from the very beginning that I was just keeping Leah's seat warm and that it was hers as soon as she was ready to come back," Stewart said. "Well, she's coming back in 2026, and that Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster is going to have her name on it, not mine. And as much as I wanted to continue driving, TSR is not in a position to add a second Top Fuel car.
"But with Richard buying Josh Hart's team and our recent alliance, I can still work as an owner and a driver to help both our organizations grow."
In pursuing the NHRA Top Fuel title, the 54-year-old Stewart is looking to add yet another championship notch to the belt of what has been an extremely diverse and accomplished racing career. Stewart's resume includes three NASCAR Cup Series championships, the 1997 Indy Racing League (now IndyCar) championship, and two USAC championships, among others.
