Folks, what makes Tony Stewart and wife Leah Pruett great? Not just their racing prowess, Tony’s versatility or Leah’s ability to tame an 11,000 horsepower car in NHRA Top Fuel…. It’s also their philanthropic efforts that show that they truly care. While the Tony Stewart Foundation announced its closure last season for reasons that are yet to be unearthed, the NASCAR power couple hasn’t let that come in the way of their efforts to help those in need! Recently, Leah Pruett has joined in to eradicate a major issue in the modern world. But before we get to that…

Before this recent endeavor, Tony Stewart, together with Pruett, had formed a partnership with Novant Health, an integrated healthcare company, to improve the lives of underprivileged children. Their initiative aims to provide more kids in Charlotte with access to top-tier medical facilities. While the new facility is set to open in December 2025, it was Smoke that originally launched this project. This is an initiative to bridge the gap between intensive and general care. And Stewart put his own $2.25 million dollars in it to kick things off.

And now the couple were in Washington for a fentanyl—a highly potent synthetic opioid—addiction fundraiser. Notably, consuming them can be highly addictive and fatal, with the Washington-based ‘Rayce Rudeen Foundation’ making ambitious effort into battling the issue. For the unversed: As per a statistical report in 2020, out of all drug overdose deaths, 70% involved just fentanyl.

What is amazing about these efforts is that Pruett is a new mom with Dominic James Stewart being a few months old. She juggles motherhood while also supporting Tony’s 2025 NHRA Top Fuel Season campaign, and doing things for the community that matter. Her recent involvement in the fundraiser started by RRF to fight drug addiction is inspiring. It is among a few social betterment endeavors the couple has taken up recently.

Leah Pruett, highlighting this in her recent Instagram post, wrote, “⚠️ Grand Theft… that is what addiction is. Addiction is the thief of joy, health, relationships, and sometimes life. Tonight we spent time speaking at the @raycerudeenfoundation event in Washington, diving deep into their mission of empowering communities to destigmatize addiction, so that prevention, treatment, and recovery can be possible sooner. The fight against fentanyl is real, and I believe we all know someone fighting a substance addiction problem right now. If you would like help or more information, please visit AddictionHelpFinder.org”

Pruett on Instagram shared a carousel post, where she also posted a video and thanked the foundation for the work they are putting in! And from what Pruett said, the fundraiser seems to have been a success: “I am in Washington at the Rauce Rudeen Foundation charity event, where we are having s fundraiser to help with telling the communities and empowering the communities about addiction and fighting the right against Fentanyl. It’s been a great night with a lot of great supporters and donors. Just wanna say thank you for everyone that’s been in support of the Rayce Rudeen Foundation. They do phenomenal work, and they are here to support everyone that has an addiction problem.”

Notably, the RRF foundation was also started by the family of one such 26-year-old young man who tragically lost his life to the same addiction. Kent-Edward Rayce Rudeen, who is still remembered for “the light in his eyes, the smile on his face, and the joy he brought to his family and friends” was a tender-hearted young man was born in Bellevue, Washington on April 12, 1990. After spending his formative years in Spokane and graduating from Freeman High School in 2008, Rayce moved to Seattle before an accidental Fentanyl overdose took his life in June 2016.

According to their website, “When Rayce Rudeen lost his battle with addiction in 2016, his family vowed to help prevent others from suffering the same loss—and with that, Rayce’s foundation was born. For us at the Rayce Rudeen Foundation and so many others with loved ones who struggle with addiction, this work is personal. We honor Rayce’s memory by creating a supportive community in which everyone can access prevention, treatment, recovery, and family support resources—free from stigma.”

Top Comment by Terry R Shearer

Tony and his wife Leah is doing such fantastic things to help underage children and he donated 2.25 million and...more

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Debate

Such a heartfelt cause!

Is Leah Pruett coming back?

After Pruett got pregnant, she got Stewart to pilot her Top Fuel Dragster in 2024. And Stewart did a fine job, as expected. He ended the season as the Rookie of the Year. And now, with the new season in full force, it’s still Stewart behind the wheel. This has everyone thinking, when is the car’s original driver taking back the reins? Well, not in 2025, at least. Pruett, for now, is content with what she’s got.

But still, she won’t miss any of Stewart’s races. She recently said, “I’m still smiling, watching all the fans, knowing that my baby’s in good care, knowing that we have the best partners. I feel very consistent, and there’s nothing better than that. That’s the very foundation of any type of success, including from the mother standpoint, I’m learning all that, and I’m enjoying it because of what’s surrounding us and the team and the support that we have. I’m absolutely loving it.”

What Pruett is currently enjoying is the balance that she has finally achieved. Back in November last year, when Dominic was born, everything was new and overwhelming, but now she’s figured it out. And she couldn’t be happier. “I’m finding this balance between constantly comparing my love for racing and love for Dominic, and there’s two different types of love, right? But I feel like I have won the absolute lottery: a beautiful baby, an incredible team on both sides, incredible partners, and I couldn’t be happier.” Still, let’s hope to see her in a racecar in 2026.

But that raises a problem: Will Tony give up his ride? Or will Tony Stewart Racing field a second car? What do you think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.