You win some, you lose some. That’s exactly what Tony Stewart will be thinking after losing out to Gary Pritchett at the Summit Motorsports Park Night of Fire. Widely considered to be one of the most versatile drivers in motorsport, Stewart is slowly but surely getting to grips with drag racing. He recently triumphed over Gary Pritchett in the final round at National Trail Raceway, but couldn’t get the result this time around.

With NASCAR currently in the middle of a two-week Olympics break, Tony Stewart isn’t evidently catching up with the sporting action in Paris. Instead, he is living in the fast lane as he always has, even if the results don’t go his way.

Tony Stewart’s shocking reaction

The lack of NASCAR racing action over the weekend meant it was a packed house at Summit Motorsports Park Night of Fire. Four races took place in round one of the Top Alcohol Dragster category, with four drivers progressing into the semi-finals. In the opening race, Gary Pritchett defeated Angelle Sampey, recording a time of 5.332, while his opponent finished 5.334.

Meanwhile, Tony Stewart took on John Paul Gutierrez, with Smoke finishing 5.303 ahead of Gutierrez’s 5.305. Two other races also took place in the opening round, with Mike Coughlin emerging victorious against Joe Maynard and Hunter Green defeating Brandon Greco.

Stewart’s decision to compete in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series?

He just didn’t want to be glued to the TV to catch up with the Paris Olympics. In a video uploaded on Instagram that showed snippets from the race, Smoke was heard saying unexpected things. He said, “We have a weekend off, I said, you don’t think I’m going to sit at home and watch TV? I don’t give two sh*ts about the Olympics. I’d rather come race and hang out with some cool people.”

However, that would not sit well with the Olympics lovers. But Tony Stewart’s decision sat well for him as, having progressed into the semi-finals, Stewart took on Mike Coughlin, recording a time of 5.236 and narrowly beating his opponent, who finished with 5.276. As for Gary Pritchett, he finished with 5.371 in the semi-finals, but with Hunter Green committing a foul, Pritchett progressed into the final by default. Sad enough for Stewart, in the final race, Gary Pritchett, who recorded a time of 5.251, narrowly defeated Tony Stewart’s 5.267, and went on to lift the Top Alcohol Dragster Champion 2024 trophy.

With Leah Pruett currently on maternity leave, Tony Stewart is slowly getting accustomed to the world of drag racing. He recently recorded his first career NHRA Top Fuel elimination round wins, driving the Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Top Alcohol Dragster. While he has begun to develop a liking for drag racing, Smoke is still hopeful that his wife Leah Pruett will return to racing after their baby boy is born in November 2024.

Stewart is hopeful that Leah Pruett will return to racing soon

Before Leah Pruett’s pregnancy, Tony Stewart’s role in the drag racing world was strictly limited to being a team owner. While he has begun enjoying the role of drag racer in his wife’s absence, Tony Stewart wants nothing more than to see her back in the cockpit after their baby boy is born. With 18 wins in her career so far, 12 of those coming in Top Fuel and three each in Pro Mod and Factory Stock Showdown, Tony Stewart knows that Leah Pruett’s shoes are hard to fill. She finished in a career-high third place in the Top Fuel standings last year and will hope to regain those heights when she resumes racing.

In an interview that was featured in the July 30th edition of Query and Company, Tony Stewart said, “I want my wife in a race car. It’s her passion, it’s what I know she loves to do. Obviously, when this little boy in November, who knows how the world’s going to change? But she has every intention of getting back in the car.”

As for Tony Stewart, he made his debut in the NHRA drag racing series during the middle of the 2023 season. Driving the Rich McPhillips Mobil 1 dragster, Stewart won a race in his debut season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the victory meant he had won a race in four different motorsport formats in his career. While his future in drag racing remains to be seen, Stewart is taking it one day at a time while supporting his wife Leah Pruett through her pregnancy.