By Logan Morris
As Tony Stewart Racing celebrated 25 years on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to speak with Leah Pruett. We covered a few different topics, including what the racing itch was like for this season as she stepped away to start a family with her husband.
“It changed throughout the year, but the first itch was at the event in Bradenton. Last year, I got to drive that event and then swapping gears into Tony [Stewart] testing. It wasn’t so bad because I definitely had a job to do, which was coaching him and making sure he felt safe and comfortable in the car. So, I kind of personified that, but as the season got going, and he was more comfortable and doing great, there was definitely less need for me. Ironically at that exact same time, I was pretty well along pregnant, so I also then had the purpose and the reasoning for not being in the car. I think the most challenging part of all of that is going to be the itch coming up. I’m not pregnant, I’m taking care of a newborn, I technically could be driving, sitting on the decision that I’ve made to sit out this year instead of one that kind of made me.”
Looking to her future and if she’ll return to the seat in 2026, she’s unsure about if she and the team will be prepared to race by then.
“I’m not sure yet, because of what it takes to race. There’s one Top Fuel car, and two Top Fuel drivers, and I love my husband [Tony Stewart] enough that I want to see him happy, and if drag racing and hopefully winning with this team makes him happy, well then that means I need to find another thing to race, It’s ‘Tony Stewart Racing’ and even though he says it’s my car and my team because that’s how we built it. I would love for us to have a two-car team but that’s a dream, that’s not necessarily a goal. That’s something that happens if our partners come along and want to see it come into fruition and can help that dream become a possibility, then great. As of right now, we want to get this Top Fuel team up and going in a competitive nature and then I’ll see where all my items lie in the fire.”
For now, she’s very focused on 2025 and she intends to be very hands-on with the team next season. She has some major goals set for the upcoming year.
“2025 will be getting Tony [Stewart] to be from number four leaver to number one leaver in the class, and that’s going to take some work on both our parts. From a practice cockpit, practice tree, being on him, Tony doesn’t like to practice. So, I’m going to have to be the bad guy to get him to have a different mental shift and execution shift as well. Then, there are some IT projects that I have with Converge Technology Solutions that we’re very much looking forward to being an asset to the crew chiefs. So, I do feel like I have a full plate, raising our kid that will be at every single race, and looking forward to it.”
Thus far she’s steadfast that being a mom hasn’t really shifted her career priorities and she intends to balance both.
“So far, it hasn’t. I’m three weeks into being a mom and a lot of, I don’t want to say anxiety, but the thoughts that go through my mind are, what are the projects I need to tend to here with the team that maybe have lapsed over a month or so, because I’m so eager to get back into being involved. I don’t see anything particularly changing, I’m not afraid to get in the seats, that’s just part of what we do in the sport and the dangers that come with it, so I feel like the same as I was before and I think the thing I’m most scared of is just not being a good mom.”
The 2025 season kicks off with the NHRA GatorNationals March 6-9th, 2025.
Comments