“The real GOAT”: Fans make their feelings known as Tony Stewart adds another championship to his resume with the NHRA Top Fuel regular-season title

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has made headlines once again, clinching the NHRA Top Fuel regular season title. On September 1, 2025, at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Stewart secured his first title in the National Hot Rod Association. After stumbling upon the news, fans went crazy in the comment section.

The former NASCAR team owner secured three Cup Series championship titles along with 49 wins in the series. After making his name in stock car racing, Stewart wanted something challenging to put his mind to. A few years ago, he met the better half of his life, Leah Pruett. After visiting her at drag strips, it sparked the former NASCAR driver's interest in drag racing. He then took over his wife's Top Fuel ride in 2024 as a replacement driver.

Since then, Tony Stewart has been proving himself in the series. Last year, he won the Rookie of the Year title. Fast-forwarding to this year, he won the regular-season championship title, adding one more trophy to his collection. Reflecting on the same, Always Race Day's X page shared 'Smoke's' notable achievements throughout the years. The post stated:

"Tony Stewart's resume now includes 2025 NHRA Top Fuel regular season champion 2021 SRX champion 2014 NASCAR Cup champion as Co-owner 3-time NASCAR Cup champion ('11, '05, '02) 3-time Prelude to the Dream winner ('09, '08, '06) 2-time Chili Bowl winner ('07, '02) 2006 IROC champion 1997 IndyCar champion 1995 USAC Silver Crown, non-wing sprint & midget champion 1994 USAC Midget champion"

Following that, fans also joined in the comments to congratulate Tony Stewart on his latest achievement, and one fan stated:

"The real GOAT."

Josh

@Josh_ibew129

@AlwaysRaceDay The real GOAT.

Another commented:

"Racer! A throwback to the golden years of auto racing. Amazing what all he has accomplished. Congratulations, Smoke!"

Joel Hand

@JoelHandAtty

@AlwaysRaceDay @seg700wlw Racer! A throwback to the golden years of auto racing. Amazing what all he has accomplished. Congratulations, Smoke!

Here are some other reactions to the same:

"Hell of a career," a NASCAR fan wrote.

Chris Dixon

@gcdixon13

@AlwaysRaceDay Hell of a career

An X user praised the former Cup Series champion.

"*Professional bada** of the year award, 25 years strong and running,"

Forrest Robbins

@FWRobbins45

@AlwaysRaceDay *Professional badass of the year award, 25 years strong and running

Impressed by his achievements one fan stated,

"Greatest race car driver of all time. No question,"

Amos Moses⚔️✝️

@God_Is_Soverign

@AlwaysRaceDay Greatest race car driver of all time. No question

Another fan urged Stewart to participate in Daytona 500 again,

"Cmon Smoke, take one more shot at the 500," suggested one Stewart fan.

Gary Godsoe 🇺🇸🏁🏎️

@garygodsoe

@AlwaysRaceDay Cmon Smoke, take one more shot at the 500.

There are six events scheduled after the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis to declare the season champion. Following his regular series champion win, Tony Stewart has high hopes to clinch the Top Fuel Champion title in Pomona, California, in November 2025.

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"It’s not like what you and I were used to": When Tony Stewart elucidated the difference between NASCAR and NHRA racing

Last year in October, former Stewart-Haas Racing owner Tony Stewart sat down with NASCAR expert Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour podcast on YouTube. During the podcast, Stewart, being a driver who competed in both series, pointed out the key difference between NHRA and NASCAR racing.

The 54-year-old professional driver highlighted that NHRA events generally last for three to four seconds. Meanwhile, in stock car racing, the events last around three to four hours. Reflecting on the same, the former SHR owner stated:

“It’s not like what you and I were used to, where we’ve got a three-and-a-half-hour race. We’ve got six or eight pit stops during the day, and we have three, four, or five hundred laps to get the job done. If we make a mistake, we're going to fix it."

“Drag racing; it’s the opposite of that. Instead of being in the car for three and a half hours, you’re literally driving the car three and a half seconds and going from zero to 330 miles per hour in 3.6, 3.7 seconds on a good run. So it’s drastically different," he added.

The Columbus, Indiana, native concluded that the major difference between these two series is in the engine. NASCAR engines are capped at 650 horsepower, and sometimes restricted plates are added to reduce the power on different tracks. On the other hand, NHRA series cars generate 11,000 horsepower and are designed to compete in straight lines.