Tony Stewart is one of the most versatile racing drivers to get behind the wheel of a racecar. With three NASCAR Cup Series titles as a driver, the 1997 IndyCar championship, and the honor of being the first-ever USAC Triple Crown winner in a single season, his resume is the stuff of auto racing folklore. These days, Stewart’s chasing an unprecedented feat: becoming the first driver to claim championships in NASCAR, IndyCar, USAC, and NHRA drag racing. 

But his latest and most cherished victory didn’t come on the track—it came with a tiny set of footprints. Smoke and his wife, NHRA powerhouse Leah Pruett, have just celebrated the homecoming of their greatest blessing yet: a baby boy they’ve named Dominic James. Nearly three years after tying the knot in November 2021, their budding story shifted gears into a wholesome new chapter. Leah, who has been the steady wheel in Smoke’s life through every twist and turn since then, now stands beside him again, as they gear up for their greatest challenge yet as a couple—parenthood.

Who is Tony ‘Smoke’ Stewart’s wife Leah Pruett?

Born on May 26, 1988, in Redlands, California, Leah Pruett boasts an incredible racing heritage. Her father, Ron Pruett, a former drag racer, once set 12 land speed records at places like the El Mirage Lake in the Mojave Desert and the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He did it all behind the wheel of his modified 1988 Thunderbird, which he had named “Pretty Woman.” Leah revealed last year that two of those records are still standing strong.

Naturally, his daughter grew up with a need for speed alongside elder sister Lindsey, who was already racing in the Jr. Dragster program while Leah was inching at her chance to take to the track as a six-year-old. But once she had her chance, she dominated the Jr. Dragster scene, racking up 37 trophies and two Division 7 championships.

Pruett then quickly graduated to the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series and won the Nostalgia Funny Car category championship in 2010. When she finally moved to the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Leah secured three national event wins. In 2013, Pruett took on the ultimate challenge: Top Fuel drag racing. Joining the powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing team in 2016, she consistently finished in the Top 10. Adding to her impressive resume, she took on the newly opened Factory Stock Showdown Series in 2019, winning the championship in her debut season.

As of 2024, she has 18 registered wins on her NHRA bio page. 12 of those have come in a Top Fuel dragster, while the other six race wins are spread evenly between the Pro Mod & the Factory Stock Showdown category. She moved to her husband’s NHRA team, Tony Stewart Racing in 2022 as their designated Top Fuel driver, and won the organization its first race in that category. But after two seasons, she announced her sabbatical from racing to take on other responsibilities and start a family with Tony Stewart. That put Smoke in the driver’s seat as his wife’s replacement in the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster for 2024. Stewart finished ninth in the championship standings in his rookie year.

Regardless, Leah Pruett has been his guiding beacon in drag racing from the start. Her husband knows her importance in his recent success in the NHRA Top Fuel category. Growing up, Leah was a Redlands High School alumna and then attended college at California State University on an athletic scholarship. As of 2024, various sources estimate her net worth to be between $4-5 million.

How did Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett meet before tying the knot?

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Three years after Stewart had closed his career as a NASCAR driver, he successfully transitioned into a full-time team owner running his sprint car operations in the World of Outlawz (WoO) with driver Donny Schatz. Likewise, his partnership with Gene Haas at Stewart-Haas Racing was still a thriving, well-functioning four-car organization in the NASCAR circuit. Around the same time, Stewart was also involved in talks about Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) with Ray Evernham.

However, one fine day in 2019, his paths crossed with his future wife for the first time while attending an event for a sponsor. But as fate would have it, drag racing icon Don “the Snake” Prudhomme formally introduced them to each other via FaceTime in 2020. The Snake insisted the pair connect during an off-road trip to Glamis, California. Their friendship grew further when they spent time together in Florida ahead of the NHRA Gatornationals in March of that year.

When the COVID-19 pandemic paused the racing world a few weeks later, Pruett invited Stewart to quarantine with her at her house in Lake Havasu. What was supposed to be a quick visit-and-stay turned into four months of shared time, as Smoke lived with Leah until his sprint car program resumed in the summer. When racing resumed after the lockdown, Pruett accompanied Stewart at World of Outlaws and All-Star Circuit of Champions sprint car events while the pair waited for her return to the NHRA Top Fuel ranks.

Their love blossomed, and after spending an entire year together, the couple revealed they had gotten engaged through social media in March 2021. A few months later, in December, another social media post revealed Stewart and Leah walking down the aisle to exchange vows, taking the next step in their relationship in Los Cabos. They’ve now been married happily for three years.

Do Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett have any children?

Yes, Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Dominic James Stewart. The couple shared the news of Leah’s pregnancy in June, only days after the news broke about Stewart-Haas Racing’s foreclosure. But this past weekend, just hours before the rounds would fire up the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Smoke received the call that Leah was going into labor in Phoenix. Despite being in the middle of the race weekend, Stewart made an incredible dash to Arizona to be there for the birth of his son.

After the big moment dated November 18th, he quickly returned to Pomona, California, to compete in the NHRA Finals, earning a semifinal finish despite the whirlwind day. The TSR Twitter account said it best, “Only Tony could pull off qualifying, rushing to Phoenix to make it in time for the delivery, then back to @PomonaDragstrip for race day.” Regardless, after losing out to defending Top Fuel champ, Doug Kallita, Stewart proudly shared his excitement, saying, “I don’t care what happens. I won at 4:43 this morning when Leah gave birth to our son. She’s a way stronger woman than I am a man. I’m proud of her and love her so much for what she’s done.”

When the couple decided to start a family, Leah Pruett pulled herself out of her racing seat. After discussions with her husband Tony Stewart, they felt it was best that he took up her spot in the team until she decided she wanted to return to racing.

Will Leah Pruett return to racing after giving birth?

The answer to that question isn’t as simple as we’d hope, but everything considered, she’s in no rush to get back behind the wheel of her 11,000-hp dragster. “For the public, for the fans, for the partners, they can expect to see Tony Stewart start the 2025 season just like he did the 2024 season,” Pruett shared with Autoweek recently. As mentioned above, Stewart finished ninth in the championship standings. And in a stellar display of his growing adaptability to the world of drag racing, he won the Top Fuel Rookie of the Year award at age 53. He reset a career-best e.t. of 3.688 seconds this year and registered a top speed of 334.73 mph in Brainerd.

It’s not too much of a stretch to say Stewart is thriving in his wife’s Top Fuel seat, although Leah has more important things on her mind right now — like the need for post-pregnancy care and the adjustment to motherhood. Besides, “Just because I might be ready in 2026 to get back in, well, that means Tony has to come out,” reflected Pruett. Now, circumstances like that bring forth another delicate balance she must manage between family life and full-time racing.

Additionally, there’s also the matter of Leah Pruett’s autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Part of the treatment even included medication that relegated her to the couch for five days. Although Pruett explained her treatment was stable, there has been no update since about the same.

As for a racing return in 2025, Pruett remains realistic. “In my dreams,” she laughed, although the 36-year-old isn’t ruling out a potential comeback a year later. In her own words, she emphasized, “I know I’m going to want to do the best job I can being a mom before I can get back in that seat.” And her fans will be as patient as need be to ensure Leah Pruett takes all the time she needs for herself and her newly minted family of three.