Tony Stewart, a racing legend and larger-than-life personality, is facing one of the biggest shifts of his life: fatherhood. Two days ago, Stewart and Top Fuel his wife Leah announced the birth of their baby boy. The journey to parenthood saw the Stewarts on a wild ride of changes as Leah had to put her racing career on hold to focus on motherhood. While Leah took on more responsibility, Tony was tasked with another challenge- to name the baby.

With Leah’s calming influence and insights from close friends like Kevin Harvick and DeLana Harvick, Tony is learning what lies ahead. But choosing a name—something so simple—became one of his and his wife’s biggest challenges.

“That was my only job. She knew not to give me too much responsibility, because she is responsible one in the family. I was tasked with the job of creating a list of names that I liked and then hand it over to her. Then she would whittle it down to what she like out of what I liked. I felt that it was a pretty fair request,” Stewart said while taking questions from the media. However, the naming process wasn’t easy.

At 53, Stewart has spent a lifetime meeting people and forming connections in the racing community which made finding an unused name difficult. “You know so many people as we do, it took out a lot of good names because of people that I knew were friends, that had kids with those names, so it made the process really hard,” he said, describing the narrowing process.

When asked whether he suggested the name Anthony, he said he was clear about naming his kid after himself, “Absolutely not. There was no way in hell I would give a kid a strike against me right out of the gate like that.” Leah had her favorites, with the couple settling on the name “Dominic,” which according to Tony was a late addition to their list. 

“I knew that was a name that she mentioned before that she really liked. It was crazy. A week ago I thought we had this locked in and then she goes, ‘Well I wanna add this name to the list. So it was literally, two hours into this and I am like what are we gonna call this little boy?” Stewart added.

“I don’t care what we call him. I’m just proud to have him. When I saw his face today, it was an emotion I’ve never felt before,” Stewart said, visibly moved. Well, it looks like as with a lot of things, Leah took care of this situation as well.

Leah, who took on most of the household preparations, had been working tirelessly to get ready for the baby’s arrival. She managed nearly every detail like moving into their new house in Lake Havasu, organizing the baby’s room, and handling travel arrangements. Meanwhile, Stewart focused on racing. “She has done all the hard work. I’ve been out racing and having fun,” he admitted, clearly admiring her dedication.

Pruett, who went racing in the NHRA in 2013, has 18 victories to her credit throughout the course of her career but had to step away after pregnancy. With Pruett out of her NHRA TopFuel dragster, Stewart was brought to fill in. He finished ninth in the final Top Fuel standings, made it to the semifinal round in five events, and made it to two final rounds. He had a 17-20 record in elimination rounds.

Moreover, he also won the NHRA Rookie of the Year Award. Similarly, when it comes to parenthood, the challenge is something, Leah is helping Tony to cope with.

Tony Stewart is facing parenthood with Leah’s support

Since their wedding in Los Cabos in 2021, Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett have been racing alongside each other and supporting one another both on and off the track. That same year, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) expanded into NHRA with Pruett competing alongside Matt Hagan in the series. Their shared journey in motorsport led to an impressive set of achievements for TSR, akin to Stewart’s impact with Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR. Now, however, the couple is on a different type of journey. One that doesn’t involve racing but requires as much—if not more—teamwork and patience.

Though Stewart jokes about his nerves, Leah has been his steady support throughout this period. Her reassuring words helped him keep things in perspective. When Stewart confessed his jitters about becoming a father, Leah lightheartedly replied, “I don’t know why you’re nervous… Crackheads do this, and their kids seem to turn out okay. We can do this.” Her words struck a chord with Stewart, allowing him to laugh and feel more confident in their ability to navigate parenthood.

Another source of inspiration when it comes to parenthood for Tony Stewart is Kevin Harvick. Last month, when Stewart appeared on a segment of ‘Happy Hour’ with Kevin Harvick the latter gave him a reality check. “You’re driving home, and now you are responsible for this human being is way different than any dog or any monkey could ever be. Are there any concerns there that you have that you need to tell us about?” Here, Harvick refers to Stewart’s pet monkey and how Harvick felt before the birth of his children. This was an eye-opener for Tony, as it came from someone who he shared a very strong bond with. Tony replied, “I’m scared to death bud.”

Kevin Harvick got married in 2001 to DeLana Harvick and has two children with her. His son, Keelan Harvick, was born in 2012, and his daughter, Piper Harvick, in 2017. Tony was grateful for being able to be around Harvick during his initial stages of parenthood. “But you know the great thing is I’ve watched you and DeLana go through parenthood, and go through two children, and watch the process. I’ve been able to watch from afar…”

The year 2024 marks a major turning point for Stewart. After 15 years as a NASCAR Cup Series team owner, he will step back from those responsibilities, closing a meaningful chapter in his career. With Stewart-Haas Racing winding down, he can fully focus on his new role as a father, an adventure that has filled him with both anticipation and awe. Although he admits to feeling unprepared, Stewart is determined to embrace fatherhood with the same drive and dedication that has characterized his legendary career.