Even after his retirement, accolades have continued to arrive for Tony Stewart. The 2023 NHRA season has been full of achievements for the 3-time Cup Series champion. A few days ago, Tony Stewart was named Person of the Year and Top Alcohol Driver of the Year by the National Dragster All-Star Team Panel.

Tony won the Funny Car championship in only his second season as an NHRA Nitro team owner as Matt Hagan cruised to a championship victory. Tony’s wife, Leah Pruett, also finished third in the Top Fuel series, the icing on the cake. Following a barrage of accolades, Tony didn’t miss the chance to thank his fans for their votes and support throughout the year.

Tony Stewart voices his gratitude to fans

Aside from his responsibilities as a team owner, Tony Stewart has also been phenomenal behind the steering wheel. Racing in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, he stacked two wins and a P2 finish, which landed him the Driver of the Year award. With wife Leah announcing the couple’s plans to move away from racing to start a family, Tony will move to Top Fuel next season and replace his wife.

While the wins were not enough to win the championship in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, he finished second behind Julie Nataas in the final standings. His first national NHRA win came at Las Vegas earlier this year, followed by a win at Reading later. These achievements made him one of the frontrunners for the Driver of the Year award. Thanking the fans for their support, Tony wrote on Twitter,

“Thank you fans for voting me as the @NHRA National Dragster Top Alcohol Driver of the Year and Person of the Year. That is really cool and unexpected and much appreciated.

The other drivers in the TAD class were really fun to race against. I had the biggest advantage with great teammates in the nitro class and our whole team at McPhillips Racing. Together we had one of the most fun years of my life in my Motorsports career.”

That being said, new responsibilities are headed Tony Stewart’s way as the 52-year-old looks to start a family. Acknowledging the difficulty of the decision, Stewart expressed the difference in perspectives between male and female drivers in a conversation with Motorsport recently.

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Stewart expresses pride over wife Leah’s sacrifice

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Having devoted 27 years of her life to the racing circuit, Leah Pruett is a hot shot when it comes to motorsports. An 11x National Hot Rod Association event winner and a  2010 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series champion in the Funny Car class, Pruett already has her hands full of achievements. So when the racer announced her decision to halt her racing career to concentrate on motherhood, it was clear how difficult of a decision that must have been. And recently, her husband Tony Stewart acknowledged the same and talked about how proud he is.

Speaking about his wife’s determination to take such a tough decision, Tony said, “I am very proud of my wife. To make a decision like this has got to be extremely hard. I don’t think from a male’s perspective that we can fully grasp it.”

On the other hand, Leah has been a drag racer all her career and has spent 27 years in the racing circuit. However, after a thorough introspection, she let go of the NHRA.

“Drag racing has been an important part of my life for over three quarters of my life,” claimed Leah Pruett. “27 years of racing in the NHRA has molded who I am and I am extremely grateful for the life it has given me. Through a long series of thought processes and a decision that did not happen overnight, I feel that stepping out of the seat right now is what’s best for myself and Tony to start a family.”

Tony Stewart will ensure the team does not miss his wife’s presence as he looks to take her place next year. Leah has already had a successful season in 2023, which only raises the expectations. However, with Tony in the equation, he might have the potential to go on and win the championship himself.

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