NASCAR legend Tony Stewart adds to career wins with NHRA triumph

Tony Stewart continues to add chapters to his already historic motorsports career, this time with a win in the NHRA Top Fuel division. A recent social media post confirmed Stewart’s latest accomplishment on the drag strip, where he defeated a seasoned competitor and showed his prowess in the Top Fuel series.

The update was shared by the NHRA’s official X account. The caption read:

“@TonyStewart does it again! @gerbercollision #Route66Nats presented by @peakauto.”

The post was about Stewart’s latest NHRA Top Fuel win at the Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois. Before heading to North Wilkesboro for NASCAR, Stewart secured the head-to-head win against 15-time Top Fuel event winner Justin Ashley. He completed the race with a speed of 329.10 MPH.

This win for Tony was a signal that he’s firmly in the hunt for the Top Fuel championship. This was his second career NHRA Top Fuel win, following his first at Las Vegas in April 2025 during a four-wide event.

Unlike that multi-car showdown, Sunday’s (May 19) race was a one-on-one duel, where Stewart’s experience and poise delivered a crucial victory. Starting from the No. 2 qualifying position, Stewart faced Justin Ashley, a 15-time event winner, and edged him out.

Stewart’s team, Tony Stewart Racing Nitro, has made serious progress since last season, when he took over the Top Fuel car from his wife, Leah Pruett. It’s clear that the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is not treating drag racing as a side project—he’s going all in.

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Tony Stewart clocked career-best qualifying run in Route 66 Nationals

Tony Stewart delivered a standout performance during qualifying at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals, where he recorded a career-best elapsed time of 3.679 seconds and a top speed of 332.43 MPH. That run helped him secure the No. 2 spot for the elimination rounds and signaled that his team had dialed in the setup on the 14 Dodge Top Fuel car.

Stewart made the run during the third round of qualifying, beating Antron Brown in the process. His reaction was captured in an Instagram reel, where he shared his thoughts on how the car has changed over the season.

“We're really excited because I feel like our car has been very consistent this year,” Stewart said. “It's been very good in hot weather with a track so slick and obviously had a cold front come through last night. We had cool conditions today and to put up that 3.679 run was strong for us. So, very encouraging that we've got some speed now.”

That run, while impressive, still fell short of Brittany Force’s NHRA record both in terms of elapsed time and top speed. Nonetheless, it placed Stewart in a strong position going into the eliminations and helped him build momentum toward the weekend win.

Currently, Tony Stewart is second in the Top Fuel standings with 392 points, trailing Shawn Langdon by just 60 points. His performance this weekend not only got him closer to the top spot, but also showed that he’s not just competing—he’s pushing the field.