"He just wants to be perfect" - When Leah Pruett reflected on Tony Stewart's realization about the difficulties of NHRA drag racing

Leah Pruett once discussed Tony Stewart's perception of drag racing and how it has changed while competing in the Top Alcohol category of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). NASCAR Hall of Famer Stewart replaced his wife as the Top Fuel dragster after Pruett announced taking a break from drag racing to start a family.

After making a mark in NASCAR, IndyCar, and USAC, the three-time Cup Series champion Stewart has ventured into another discipline of motorsports, driving the 11,000 horsepower dragster. The Indiana native's team, Tony Stewart Racing, started fielding entries in the Funny Car division with Matt Hagan and the Top Fuel category with Leah Pruett. Stewart has also been actively competing in the Top Alcohol category of drag racing.

Despite Stewart's impressive experience in several motorsports disciplines, Pruett spoke about how one needs drag racing experience to understand what goes behind running a dragster. She said in a conversation with SpeedFreaks:

"He [Tony Stewart] just wants to be perfect and now he understands how difficult drag racing is and it took him being inside the car to really understand it. So he's doing his paces in the top alcohol dragster category and winning races and doing great."

Tony Stewart won the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year award and reached the NHRA finals.

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"One of the hardest things that I've ever had to learn to drive" - Tony Stewart on drag racing after replacing Leah Pruett in the Top Fuel category

Tony Stewart at Final Rounds Of Qualifying At The 59th NHRA Finals In Pomona - Source: Getty

Soon after announcing his debut in the NHRA Top Fuel category, Tony Stewart shared his goals for racing in nitromethane-powered cars that can reach a speed of 330 mph in a matter of seconds.

In a conversation with Reuters, the former NASCAR driver said:

"My goal is to not suck, my goal is not get fired by my wife and not kill myself driving this thing. 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. This has probably been one of the hardest things that I've ever had to learn to drive."

"It is very much going to be a crash course learning curve, minus the crash," Stewart added.

With his three victories this season, Stewart has turned out to be a top competitor in the NHRA series. He also clinched the North Central Division championship in the Top Alcohol Dragster last month.