Tony Stewart is a rare breed in the racing world—a driver who excels across multiple disciplines. Unlike many racers who focus on perfecting a single format, Stewart has conquered both NASCAR and IndyCar, becoming the only driver to win the Cup Series and the IndyCar championship. Before his IndyCar success, Tony Stewart established himself as a force in USAC racing. He secured four USAC championships, including the historic “Triple Crown” victory, a feat that was unmatched at the time.

Now, at 53, he’s turning his attention to drag racing, competing in the NHRA both as a driver and team owner. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has struggled to adapt to drag racing. However, what has aided him is the lack of stringency in the NHRA, something he never experienced in NASCAR.

Tony Stewart: NHRA is more lenient than NASCAR

NASCAR has often been criticized for its stringency and micromanagement in the competition. Denny Hamlin recently faced the brunt of NASCAR’s strict rules. Hamlin’s team inadvertently destroyed a race-winning engine before NASCAR could inspect it. The engine, from Hamlin’s Bristol Motor Speedway victory, was mistakenly dismantled by the manufacturer, leading to an automatic L2 penalty. As a consequence, NASCAR imposed a hefty points penalty on Hamlin’s team. Wiped away were 10 playoff points—the equivalent of two Cup Series race wins—and 75 regular-season points, which was enough to eliminate Hamlin from winning the regular-season championship. This raised questions about the strictness of NASCAR.

Veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. also backed Hamlin. Jr. took to X to voice his opinion, writing, “Wild. Happened in March. And at Bristol where motor don’t really matter (gives me confidence there was no real intention). Also, considering what was going on with the tire management during the race. Big big disappointment for DH and crew.” Where NASCAR doesn’t offer any leniency, things are a bit different in the NHRA. Tony Stewart, having dealt with both sanctioning bodies, highlighted the difference between the two when it comes to rules.

In a conversation on The Pat McAfee Show; he said, “There’s a lot less rules as far as compared to NASCAR. NASCAR is so micro I mean it they measure everything to the thousandth of an inch and there are still rules in NHRA that are the same way. But you’re sitting there taking an 11,000 plus horsepower car and trying to make it go 1,000 ft as fast as you can the body being off a thousandth of an inch here and there that’s not going to make the difference to those guys to the sanctioning body. So the rules are way more relaxed.”

Being impartial and being a bit lenient with the rules is completely different. Micromanagement of every minute detail might kill the spirit of the game, and a little room for error allows teams and drivers to be more relaxed and in control. Maybe it’s something for NASCAR to think about. Well, all seriousness aside, Stewart on the show also talked about what will happen to his drag racing career once his wife comes back.

Tony Stewart’s Drag Racing future seems tricky

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Tony Stewart is currently racing his wife Leah Pruett’s 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel Dragster. Leah stepped away from racing mid-season to prepare for the birth of their first child in November. While Stewart initially filled in for his wife, his strong performance has solidified his position as a driver in the Top Fuel Dragster series. However, what happens when she comes back? Will Stewart substitute himself out? Well, Leah has different plans.

When she returns, she wants Stewart to make a second Top Fuel team so that the pair can race each other. It would certainly be a historic moment. However, Stewart doesn’t like the plan one bit. Reiterating this, he said, “It’s a terrible idea on paper, and it does not make sense because if you beat your wife, you get stuck on the couch for eternity.” 

According to him, on the other hand, if he gets beaten, he’ll be the guy who lost his wife. In both cases, he loses. Thankfully, Stewart still has time as the couple is expecting their child in November this year. Hopefully, we get to see both of them race! It would be fun, wouldn’t it? What do you think of the pair racing each other? Let us know in the comments below.