Contemplating Pregnancy, Leah Pruett Advocates Major NHRA Change Favoring Women Drivers

Auto Racing hasn’t been an easy professional journey for any women driver. Be it Danica Patrick, who rose to the heights of the IndyCar Series, or Leah Pruett, who has dedicated her entire life to drag racing in the NHRA Series. Motorsports might have become more inclusive now, but there are a lot of biases against them that are yet to be resolved.

Leah Pruett stepped down from the driver’s role at the start of the 2024 NHRA season to start a family with Tony Stewart. However, after making her semi-retirement decision, she learned about the unfair treatment women drivers have to undergo during their pregnancy. Speaking in an interview with Autoweek, Pruett talked about the unfair rule structure and how it affects women drivers and their teams competing in NHRA drag racing events.

NHRA needs a better pregnancy policy for women drivers

Having decided to take time off from racing and start a family with Stewart, Leah came to know about a major issue concerning women drivers in the NHRA. If a female driver decides to step out of the driver’s seat mid-season due to pregnancy, her team loses points and also a potential shot at winning the championship.

In a bid to improve the situation, Pruett has proposed a new policy that would allow women drivers to take time off during pregnancy. “It’s just not a healthy situation. So why not create something … that helps these women stay in the sport and also opens up an opportunity for women that are looking to elevate themselves inside the sport know that there is an equal opportunity to an injury protocol or a COVID protocol. There’s something for everything except for if you get pregnant,” Pruett explained during the interview.

She further highlighted the roadblocks standing in the way of getting such a policy approved. “There’s a lot of legalities and doctoral research that’s happening. So, hopefully, we come to a place of education and a consensus that will help the next generation of female racers.”

The 35-year-old is not only fighting for the fair treatment of women race car drivers but also battling an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Understandably, the way she navigates through her struggles has served as an inspiration for her husband, Tony Stewart.

Tony Stewart is proud of his wife, Leah Pruett

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It was in late 2020 that Pruett noticed something off with her health. But despite her poor health, she kept her focus on competing in the NHRA events. However, the decision to take time out of racing wasn’t easy for her. Tony also acknowledged his male privilege, saying, “We knew she was going to struggle. We’ve talked about it a bunch of times, but to make the decision she to make first of all, and to execute and do what she’s doing is super hard. I’m glad I’m a male race car driver.”

He even heaped praises on how Leah is handling her daily life despite the health struggles and the decision to start a family. “This year, I’m even more proud of her than I’ve ever been because I’m watching her go through this. She has a million excuses to be off center every day and be frustrated and mad, and she’s been amazing through it.” Stewart added.

Leah Pruett is expected to return to NHRA Top Fuel Racing, and Stewart will be hoping that day comes soon. As of now, he is finding it hard to compete against the seasoned Top Fuel drivers. But we are sure that his wife is his greatest source of motivation, so only good things are ahead for the couple.