Tony Stewart has probably won everything there is to win on the racetracks across different disciplines. From USAC racing, IndyCar, and NASCAR, he’s crowned himself as the best racer on all fronts. There are tons of titles and names we can put on Smoke—but fatherhood was something he had yet to experience. Well, that came true as soon as his wife Leah Pruett welcomed their first baby boy, Dominic, just before the Pomona Nationals race day.

At 53 years old, the joy of being a father did come in a little late in Stewart’s life. But he wasn’t too concerned about this fact, but the same cannot be said about a few social media trolls. They tried throwing shade at the former NASCAR team owner, but this wasn’t going to dampen Smoke’s spirit.

Tony Stewart claps back at online haters

While many drivers do manage to start their families along with their careers, Smoke wasn’t sure about his personal life goals. It was only when he started dating his wife, Leah Pruett and getting married that he was ready to become a father. The couple got married in November of 2021, but both of them were committed to their racing. For Stewart, it was his NASCAR Cup Series team SHR, whereas Pruett led the charge for TSR Nitro in the NHRA Top Fuel.

But things started to fall in place with Stewart detaching himself from NASCAR and being invested in his NHRA team. And this is when the couple decided to have a baby for the first time. However, there were a few characters on social media who called out Stewart for embarking on his fatherhood journey so late. Little did they know that Smoke had dealt with haters throughout his racing career, and these comments weren’t going to get to him.

Embracing his role as a first-time dad, he responded to those online bullies. “I think that one negative in my eye is just the age. Obviously, I’m 53 years old; I would not say it’s the ideal time by any means, but it’s funny. We know how social media can be and how finicky three and four percent of the world is. They don’t mind sharing their ideas and saying how selfish it was.” Tony Stewart said this in the Race Industry Week session.

He further explained what prompted him to embark on the parenthood journey. “I think 15-20 years ago, being engrossed in motorsports in deeply and heavily as I was, I’m not sure that would’ve been the right time for me to be a good father. So I feel like having some big-ticket items recently taken off my plate is going to give me a lot more time to be a father.”

Well, there’s also a new update about Stewart and his plans for 2025, and this news is indeed exciting for his fans.

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Smoke will continue to race in the NHRA Top Fuel

There was no clarity on whether or not Leah Pruett would return to her seat in the Top Fuel dragster for the 2025 season. But, going by the latest updates, it is clear that his husband, Tony Stewart, would continue to lead the team in what will be his second full-time run in Top Fuel. Despite recovering from her pregnancy, Pruett wants to take this time and focus on being a mother over a racer. And, Stewart is going to respect her decision.

“I’m going to be back in the Top Fuel car again next year. Leah has decided she wants to be a mom this first year. I’ll be honest: she is literally just over two weeks from having Dominic, and I am pretty confident that in about two to three weeks, she’ll be ready to get back in a Top Fuel car. I’m kinda fighting it a little bit, but, I guess the bonus to it is I get to drive a Top Fuel car again next year,” Stewart announced.

Now he certainly has some unfinished business in the NHRA Top Fuel racing. For the first time in a while, Smoke wasn’t able to register a single win throughout the season. Although he did bag the Rookie of the Year award, he would want to return to winning ways by piloting the TRS dragster in 2025.