“Trying to Cram 12 Pounds of Sh*t” – Tony Stewart’s Uncomfortably Strange Experience in Wife Leah’s Car Triggers Top Fuel Step-Up Plans

Tony Stewart has experienced a series of transformative events over the past two years. May that be tieing the knot with Leah Pruett, an accomplished NHRA Top Fuel drag racer, or venturing into team ownership in the NHRA drag racing realm. And now, adding another feather to his cap, Stewart has decided to compete full-time in NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) class this season.

Notably, Stewart continues to maintain his role as co-owner of Stewart Haas Racing in NASCAR, being a analyst for FOX Sports’ NASCAR telecasts, owning various small race tracks like Ohio’s Eldora Raceway, and overseeing a small racing series. However, even though Stewart relishes his current endeavors, he eagerly anticipates the forthcoming years, with fatherhood potentially on the horizon and aspirations of ascending to higher NHRA classes such as Top Fuel or Funny Car.

Tony Stewart Talks About Building a New Top Fuel Car

In a recent interview with Autoweek, Tony Stewart opened up on the future prospects of his personal and professional life. While talking about his team’s plans on building a new Top Fuel car, Stewart revealed how an uncomfortable and strange experience in his wife’s car inspired him to pitch for a new setup.

He said, “We’re building another chassis that there’s some things that after I drove Leah’s car (in testing), there’s things in the cockpit that I’ve questioned. (There were a) couple of different dragsters I’ve sat in and then said, ‘Why don’t you change this or remove this? And so we actually literally are building another chassis right now that has some of the ideas I like in it.”

Furthermore, he talked about how even though the changes might not make the car faster, they might help make it more comfortable.

Explaining how it is uncomfortable to ‘cram’ up inside the vehicle, he said, “There’s some other just little things that aren’t going to make the car faster, but it might make it more comfortable. And so it’s definitely a car that I can drive as well. Trying to drive Leah’s car, it’s like trying to cram 12 pounds of sh*t into an eight-pound sack.”

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What Are the Issues That the New Setup Might Resolve?

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Elaborating on the struggles faced while driving the Top Fuel car, Tony Stewart revealed how a shorter steering wheel might help him make the new car comfortable.

He shared, “This is a true story. When I drive her car, I use a junior dragster steering wheel, because I’ve got broader shoulders than hers and it pushes my shoulders an inch forward just getting in her car. My arms are longer than Leah’s. And my hands are closer together, so that’s why I run a junior dragster steering wheel, which is a lot shorter.”

Furthermore, he added that since the driver’s hands are quite close while driving a car at 330 miles an hour, the span between the knuckles plays an important role.

“My hands are this close together, you’re driving a car 330 miles an hour with your hands. The span between my knuckles when I’m in the car is probably an inch, inch, and a half.”

Since Stewart is seriously considering making the big leap to Top Fuel, it might be possible that the new changes to the car can help him ease the learning curve and come in handy when he is aiming to clinch his next win.

READ MORE: “Once You Get to a Certain Level” – Tony Stewart on What Makes Motorsports Superior to Other Sports Like Basketball or Football