Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett had to begin their parenting journey on a race day. The couple announced the birth of their son, Dominic James Stewart, just before the NHRA season finale at Pomona Dragstrip. Having taken over racing duties from his wife, who took a hiatus to start a family, Stewart rushed to the hospital to attend the birth of his son, before heading to California for the first-round race.

With the couple balancing parenthood and racing responsibilities, Tony Stewart gave credit to his wife for her hard work throughout the pregnancy, while revealing the responsibilities he was entrusted with during this time.

Tony Stewart praises his wife for taking control

Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett make quite a team. When the couple announced their desire to start a family, Pruett temporarily gave up her NHRA racing career amidst the pregnancy and Stewart stepped in to take her place. Having won the Cup Series thrice in his career, the 53-year-old took time to acclimatize to the rigors of dragster battles and worked hard to develop sharper reflexes and get used to the higher g-forces, as the cars can go over 334 miles in just a few seconds. While he was busy on the racetrack, his significant other was holding down the fort at home, taking care of all the other responsibilities.

Revealing the duties shared by the couple, Tony Stewart told Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, “That was my only job. She knew not to give me much responsibility because she’s the responsible one in the family. I was tasked the job of creating a list of names I liked then handed it over to her and she whittled it down to what she liked out of what I liked. Felt like that was a pretty fair request. She is literally, for the whole season, moved us into the first house, got the baby room done in Indiana, got travel stuff ready when we’re traveling to the races on the weekend.”

With Tony Stewart’s responsibilities largely limited to the racetrack, the 53-year-old has managed to secure 12 wins in the NHRA Top Fuel division, while also being crowned the drag racing champion. However, his 2024 season has been somewhat of a struggle, as he finished 10th in the rankings, with his highest finish being runner-up at Sonoma in 19 races. While the couple haven’t publicly announced their plans for next year, Stewart is expected to continue racing while Pruett takes care of the newborn.

Giving credit to his wife for her efforts, Stewart said, “She’s worked her a– off for this child and for us as a family. She’s done all the hard work and in the meantime, I’ve been out racing and having fun doing what I love doing.” However, now that Dominic James Stewart is here, it might not be all fun and games for ‘Smoke’, whose presence will also be needed away from the racetrack while he comes to terms with the demands of fatherhood. From what it seems, the veteran driver isn’t looking forward to all the responsibilities that come with having a child.

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Stewart jokes about avoiding certain parenting duties

Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett have dreamed about this moment for a long time. The couple have been planning to start a family for a while, and Dominic James Stewart’s arrival is set to change quite a lot for the new parents. While the 53-year-old managed to take a backseat during his wife’s pregnancy, he will be expected to be more proactive going forward. However, not all aspects of parenthood are exciting for the NASCAR Hall of Famer.

Revealing what he’s not looking forward to doing, Tony Stewart candidly told Bob Pockrass, “I’m trying to find every and any way I can to get out of having to change diapers. But my wife is a very strong-willed woman, and she has assured me that I am not, under any circumstances, getting out of these responsibilities as a father and a parent. And I don’t blame her. It’s part of it.”

As he has done so often in his racing career, Stewart will step up when it matters and embrace parenthood with open arms. The 53-year-old was filled with emotion after the arrival of his son, going on to say, “My wife is unbelievable. She’s a way tougher woman than I will ever be as a man.” When the veteran driver returned to California for the NHRA season finale, he was greeted with a resounding applause from the Tony Stewart Racing crew. However, the IndyCar and USAC champion will feel that his wife deserves the plaudits instead, especially after all she has overcome in the last few months.