Despite Health Issues, Leah Pruett Is Persevering, as Tony Stewart Continues to Face Challenges in NHRA

Last December, Tony Stewart and his wife, Leah Pruett, made a significant life decision. Pruett decided to step back from racing her NHRA Top Fuel Dragster for the 2024 season to focus on starting a family, with her husband stepping in to take her place. However, the transition hasn’t been smooth. Stewart shared at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, “Gainesville was bad. It was bad for her, which means it was also bad for me, but we all expected it.” On top of these challenges, the couple has also faced difficulties in conceiving.

Tony Stewart says that his wife inspires him

Tony Stewart is facing new challenges in his debut NHRA Top Fuel season. Known for his versatility, Tony Stewart can drive anything and everything that has four wheels, but rocketing down a 1,000-foot drag strip at over 330 mph is still a fresh adventure for the NASCAR Hall of Famer accustomed to short tracks and stock car racing.

Despite his efforts, transitioning to drag racing has been an uphill battle. At Gainesville Raceway, his first outing didn’t quite hit the mark, with an early exit in the first round of eliminations. He managed a respectable ninth in qualifying at the Gator Nationals, only to be edged out by Justin Ashley. His next attempt at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip proved even more challenging, as he encountered numerous issues.

“It’s been like a whirlwind because it is so outside the norm of what I’m used to. Everything that I did in NASCAR and IndyCar and Sprint Car racing on dirt and sports cars kinda fell under the same bubble, but drag racing is kinda on fantasy island on its own deal. It has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone. But when you do it with your wife, it puts you back in a comfort zone,” Stewart admitted.

However, he knows his wife’s struggles as well, both personally and professionally. Leah Pruett, battling Hashimoto’s thyroiditis—a condition that affects her thyroid’s hormone production—plans to jump back into Top Fuel racing as soon as possible. Starting a family has been a challenge due to her condition, and Pruett has openly discussed how it has affected her both on and off the track. Last year, she shared with The Associated Press that managing her condition while racing was a struggle, but she worked hard to keep it under control.

Tony Stewart admires her resilience and admits that witnessing her daily struggles puts his own challenges into perspective. “She’s got it way worse than me and handling it way better. It’s making me look at things differently and make my life better because of what she’s doing,” Stewart reflected.

Besides that, stepping away from a sport you love isn’t easy. And Tony Stewart very well knows that, having retired from NASCAR. Probably that’s why he understands the difficulty of what Pruett is doing, noting that it’s incredibly tough, and he’s just grateful that he is a male race car driver. He acknowledged that female racers are tougher than any of the guys—to step out of the cockpit to start a family, especially when you’re at the top of your game and just had your career-best season. That decision carries so much weight.

So naturally, Pruett’s choice has only deepened Stewart’s respect for her. He expressed, “I was proud of my wife when I met her. I was proud of her while we were engaged and I’m proud of her as her husband. She has a million excuses to be off center every day and be frustrated and mad, and she’s been amazing through it.“ And well, Pruett herself hasn’t closed the door on returning to racing, keeping the possibility of a comeback open.

Leah Pruett is eagerly looking forward to her return to racing as soon as possible

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While she misses the thrill of racing, Tony Stewart’s wife is committed to not letting her racing career overshadow her family life. Speaking to racer.com, she expressed, “I still have every intention of getting back inside the car sooner (rather than later). But I’m not going to rob our family short of that time.”

She added, “But I know I’ll be back inside, and that makes me feel complete when I’m at the track with Tony, watching him race. I don’t feel left out in any way; if anything, I feel blessed that he’s allowed me to do this, and I’m going to be able to get back in.” Yet she did not forget to mention her side of struggles as well, “I’ve learned that I love drag racing whether I’m in or outside the car, and that’s something I never would have really known that I could do.”

While Pruett acknowledged that being in the background is comfortable, but that doesn’t override her want to be the one inside the car driving and being competitive. “Now that I’m in the background, it’s actually a comfortable position for me but it doesn’t override the want to be the one inside the car driving and being competitive. I’m enjoying this other side, but it’s not going to overtake anything else,” the racer shared.

Despite this, Pruett remains mindful of her health and the challenges of conceiving. She’s optimistic, however, confident that these challenges will pass, and she’ll return to what she loves most—racing.