NASCAR idol Tony Stewart wins Top Alcohol Driver of the Year award
Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has won laurels in his rookie NHRA season, taking home two awards from his first full-time campaign.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 NHRA season, the National Dragster All-Star Team panel named Stewart as the Person of the Year, for his contributions to the sport as a team owner and a driver.
Stewart was also awarded the Top Alcohol Driver of the Year award. He also finished second in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, behind Julie Nataas.
Tony Stewart capped off a successful season in Drag Racing, where he finished second in the Top Alcohol standings and his team won the Funny Car championship with Matt Hagan. Stewart's wife Leah Pruett wrapped up her campaign by finishing third in the Top Fuel class.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer has plenty to look forward to in 2024, as he and his wife Leah Pruett announced they will try to start a family in the coming year. Hence, Stewart will take over Pruett's Top Fuel Dragster for the 2024 NHRA season.
After racing in the lower categories, the 52-year-old has simple objectives for his 2024 season as he steps up to the Top Fuel category. The 'Smoke' stated his goals sarcastically as he said:
"My goal is to not suck, my goal is not get fired by my wife and not kill myself driving this thing," Stewart was quoted by The Print. "Every time we have jumped into a different type of race car in a different form of motorsport there is always a learning curve and this is no different."
Tony Stewart will face a steep learning curve next season, as the Top Fuel Dragsters are completely different beasts. However, Stewart is famous for his versatility and is expected to get on top of the Dragsters in no time.
Tony Stewart 'scared' of starting a family
After Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett revealed that they will be trying to start a family, the veteran driver admitted that he is scared as he can "barely take care of" himself.
“I’m way more scared about starting a family I can barely take care of myself,” said Stewart (via Reuters). "I don’t have any experience as a parent but I have a lot of experience driving."
“At least I have a little bit of an idea about what to expect but the family side of it I’m still learning how to be an average husband at best and trying to learn to be a father at the same time is another challenge.”
The Smoke will be busier than ever in the future as he tries to split his time between his family, his NASCAR team, Stewart Haas Racing, Eldora Speedway, SRX Series, NHRA ownership, and racing.