Leah Pruett gets her wish as Tony Stewart Racing rolls out test day opportunity amid hiatus

When Leah Pruett said she might slip back into the Tony Stewart Racing Top Fuel dragster for a test run in 2025, she wasn't kidding. Less than 24 hours after the Virginia NHRA Nationals, Pruett was back in the cockpit of her familiar No. 14 TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster for a practice session.

The testing session came ahead of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals weekend on June 29, with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) sharing a short video of Pruett, suited up and strapped in, on Monday at Virginia Motorsports Park. They uploaded the video on X and wrote:

"At the start of the season, @LeahPruett_TF said she wanted to do some testing this year…. Looks like today is her lucky day. 😁"

Leah Pruett is a seasoned drag racer who stepped away from full-time competition to start a family at the start of the 2024 campaign. She has 12 Top Fuel victories, multiple final-round appearances, and is known as one of the class's most aggressive drivers. That legacy made her decision even more significant.

It was a team-first call involving Pruett and crew chief Neal Strausbaugh that Tony Stewart would take over the dragster while she welcomed the couple's first child, Dominic James Stewart, in November 2024. Since then, she's remained close to the team, often seen at the track, but Monday marked the first time in 2025 she was back in the car.

Leah Pruett, alongside her husband and NHRA top fuel driver Tony Stewart, during qualifying. Source: Imagn

While there's no official word on her full-time return to NHRA, the test shows a glimmer of hope that the day is close. Meanwhile, Stewart's second full-time NHRA season filling in for his wife, is shaping into a career year. After a challenging rookie campaign, Stewart has found rhythm and results in Top Fuel.

Stewart has been a finalist at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona and again at the New England Nationals in Epping. His first Top Fuel win came at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, followed by a second win in Chicago. The former NASCAR champion also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Bristol and earned his first No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel at Bristol.

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Tony Stewart fends off Brittany Force, extends perfect 1st-round record

NHRA top fuel driver Tony Stewart during qualifying for the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. Source: Imagn

Coming into the Virginia Nationals, Tony Stewart had momentum, but qualifying day told a different story. The usually consistent No. 14 car failed to complete a single competitive pass across three rounds. None of their runs exceeded 80 mph due to a mechanical issue.

That inconsistency left Stewart 14th in the qualifying order with a daunting first-round matchup against No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force, who had beaten him in the Epping final just weeks prior. But the Tony Stewart Racing crew delivered after working late into Saturday night to identify and fix the issue.

The former NASCAR Cup Series driver blasted off with a 3.872-second pass, the lowest e.t. of the round, to eliminate Force and extend his perfect first-round streak in 2025 to eight in eight. That victory gave Stewart a bye in Round 2, propelling him directly into the semifinals, where he lined up against Shawn Langdon.

Unfortunately, Stewart red-lit with a reaction time of -0.093 and coasted through at 84.72 mph, while Langdon advanced with a 6.350-second run. Langdon would go on to defeat Justin Ashley in the final, though the result is currently under review due to a potential rules infraction on Langdon's Kalitta No. 4 car.

Regardless, Stewart leaves Virginia with his points lead intact and another solid result logged in a year that's been all about progress and consistency. Through eight races so far, he leads the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series standings with 700 points.