“I was proud of my wife when I met her. I was proud of her while we were engaged and I’m proud of her as her husband.” For Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett is a rockstar, a pinnacle of a multitasker who he never forgets to appreciate. It was just recently that Stewart tipped his hat to his wife after receiving his NHRA honor (Rookie of the Year) to show respect to the person he called his biggest coach. But the roles have now reversed, and the drag racer seems to have beat her husband to it this time.

She penned down the most thoughtful/hilarious message for her husband after entering a new phase in her life. But reaching here was not so easy for Pruett…

Leah Pruett: Tony Stewart’s wife, coach, and the mother of his child

Leah Pruett had her share of hardships when, three years ago, she was diagnosed with a health condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease found in 15% to 20% of adult women, where the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. In December 2023, she announced that she would be taking a break from racing to focus on starting a family, but was unsure whether the condition would affect her ability to get pregnant. Speaking to the Associated Press in 2023, Pruett said, “Hashimoto’s gives me a lot of challenges throughout the year in racing, and it took a lot to get that under control just to race, more or less under control to start a family.”

Despite all the tumultuous times she successfully delivered a baby boy this November, and as she sat on her hospital bed, looking lovingly into Tony Stewart’s eyes, with baby Dominic James Stewart grabbing on her, the love between the family was palpable. The heartfelt post she penned for Tony Stewart, who flew all the way from Pomona, CA, was a natural outcome.

“Eventful World Finals wknd for the Stewart Household to say the least. At 4:43 am Raceday morning, we welcomed our baby boy Dominic James Stewart (Dom) into this world! Was a wild sequence of events; with my water breaking Saturday morning in Havasu, and Tony being in Pomona, CA and still having 2 rounds of qualifying that day, Dara and I hightailed the Durango to the Phoenix Hospital to meet my amazing midwife and friend Heather Anderson,” she noted in the post.

While she wanted the Top Fuel team to get both runs in, she also wanted to have the baby when Tony Stewart was there. In her note, she talked about how there was a lot of talk about Tony not being able to be in the room. “Tony was able to fly in after Q4, as my labor really ramped up, supporting me the entire night. There had been a lot of big talk on his end for months how he wasn’t going to be in the room, but let me tell you, he was there for every moment and helping me through it all.”

“After 9 hours of building labor and 1.5 hours of pushing, I got to hold our perfect baby boy, and Tony did in fact, cut the chord. ✂️ (I know some people had bets on that lol). Smoke Daddy was able to fly back in time for first round of Eliminations, and we had a solid semi final finish to the race season,” the 36-year-old further wrote, adding, “We are so happy with hearts so full. Thank you everyone for the love texts these past couple days 😘 Giving birth was the most exhausting thing my body and mind has ever experienced. Can’t wait to recover with my lil family!”

The storm is finally over, it seems. Little Dom has reached the finish line with flying colors. But what about his mom and dad?

What’s next for the family?

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When Pruett revealed her pregnancy, she indicated that Tony Stewart would be stepping in to drive her drag car. In the July 30 edition of Query and Company, Tony Stewart spoke about Leah’s passion for racing and that she still talks about returning once they have their baby in November. “I want my wife in a race car. It’s her passion, it’s what I know she loves to do. Obviously, when this little boy in November, who knows how the world’s going to change? But she has every intention of getting back in the car,” he said.

For the unversed: Pruett is also a champion in her own right and for multiple reasons. The semi-retired drag racer has won 18 NHRA races, among which she has 12 in the Top Fuel Dragster ranks, three in the Pro Model, and another three in the Factory Stock Showdown. But she is so much more than an American car racer.

Now that Stewart is charting a new role as a parent, one is reminded of his comment a few weeks ago when he joked about trying to find every way to get out of diaper duty.

He said, “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.”

It seems that the two have their work cut out, doesn’t it?