Tony Stewart gets 100% honest about his ‘special’ NHRA win as a father and husband
Tony Stewart described his latest NHRA Top Fuel win as different from previous victories. The three-time NASCAR champion said celebrating in victory lane as a father and husband for the first time was special.
Stewart, 53, earned his maiden NHRA Top Fuel win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday (April 13). He was joined in victory lane by his wife, Leah Pruett, whom he married in late 2021, and Dominic James, the couple's firstborn son, born in November last year.
In an interview with SpeedFreaks, Tony Stewart shared his emotions after winning last weekend as a family man, saying:
"By the time you get down and you're doing that second stage appearance where fans are coming around, and Leah (Pruett) comes up with Dom (Stewart), now you're thinking about 'Oh my gosh, my family. This isn't about me, and it's not just about the team... it's now my first experience outside of Leah and I having a family.'" [40:24]
"She brings Dom up there and losing it, and then going to do the photos with the team and the car, and dad, and my wife and Dom are there... just the whole family atmosphere just kept changing perspectives," he added.
Stewart may have won championships in racing series like NASCAR and IndyCar (the only driver to do so), but he thought the NHRA win was special in its own way.
"It's just crazy how... it was very special just for very different reasons than before," Stewart concluded.
In NASCAR, Tony Stewart had won in all three national series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck). Perhaps the biggest achievement was winning the Cup Series championship twice with Joe Gibbs Racing (2002 and 2005) and once with Stewart-Haas Racing (2011).
Stewart also won the title as a team owner with Kevin Harvick in 2014. However, SHR was discontinued after the Indiana native left the sport last year, marking the end of his involvement with stock car racing.
He is now competing as a sophomore driver in the NHRA Top Fuel class, filling in for Leah Pruett while his wife takes care of their son, Dominic James.
"I am not going to own a team in NASCAR": Tony Stewart turned down possibility of returning to NASCAR
With Dodge looking to return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year, Tony Stewart addressed his potential involvement. The 49-time Cup race winner ruled out taking part in the ownership, though he would help with the process.
For the unversed, Stewart's NHRA race team is backed by Dodge. The Michigan-based marque plans to compete in the Truck Series through Ram, the pickup truck brand under their parent company, Stellantis.
"I told them I’ll do anything I can to help them," Stewart said. "Obviously, right now [the plans] are just a truck program [for Dodge]. We'll do everything we can to help. But I am not going to own a team in NASCAR ever again."
While the story on Dodge's return to NASCAR is still developing, Stewart is scheduled to race at zMAX Dragway in North Carolina next weekend.