Leah Pruett is preparing to return to the NHRA racing circuit in 2025 with Tony Stewart Racing after taking a break in 2024 for the birth of her son, Dominic Stewart. Her return focuses not only on her racing skills but also on managing the demanding dual role of being a mother while competing at the highest level of drag racing, highlighting the challenges and determination involved in this Tony Stewart Racing balance.
Leah Pruett Embraces Her Role as Both Racer and Mother
As she prepared for her pre-race press conference in Concord, Leah Pruett discussed the unique experience of returning to driving a TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel dragster after becoming a mother. She reflected,
“Yeah I think there is, to some degree. I think its just the excitement level of it. It’s a new dynamic, I’ve never done it before, being a mother back into a race car. I think one thing about Tony Stewart Racing is that everything that we do is very methodical and no different in my decision to get back in.”
The methodical approach of Tony Stewart Racing ensures her comeback is carefully planned to fit both her family life and racing career.
Unlike many female racers, such as Courtney Force who stepped away from racing to focus entirely on motherhood, Pruett is carving her own path by combining both roles. Her time away from racing has strengthened her with a deeper understanding of the team, technology, and the sport itself. She shared,
“I’m proud of everyone that has backed us in that and supported me coming back. Me staying out of 2025 has, in my opinion, developed me as a racer in ways that 2024 didn’t. I’m more into the race car with the team, our technology, than have ever been in my whole life. I look forward to what Leah the racer will be like, back inside that race car with this exact same team.”
This break allowed her to witness racing from a new perspective, deepening her involvement off the track and reigniting her passion for competition.
Practical Challenges of Racing While Raising a Young Child
Returning to racing after becoming a mother brings practical and emotional challenges that Leah Pruett addresses candidly. Maintaining her reactions and focus on the track demands a swift, clear mindset, which she has been working to achieve while also managing motherhood. She recounted a humorous yet telling moment, saying,
“I was able to get some reaction, lift a little bit quicker without smoking the tires. I say this with as much love as possible for my son. He’s being watched by our nanny as she has being doing during our race weekends. I did not remember that I had a son and I was a mother until I had to stop and pump and pack my parachutes with pumps. We joked, ‘That’s the world’s fastest breastmilk,’ but that’s what I was looking for.”
This story encapsulates the balance between racing demands and parenting duties, illustrating how motherhood is now inseparably part of her racing life.
Guiding Their Son’s Future Without Pressure
Dominic Stewart has grown up surrounded by motorsport, but both Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart insist that his future in racing depends entirely on his own choice. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Tony Stewart stated,
“We’re not buying anything until he looks us in the eye and says this is what I want to do and I’m all in.”
Pruett reinforced this view, adding,
“You need to teach them dedication and not giving up… I don’t think we care which aisle, which lane, which racetrack… if he decides to race.”
Their approach is focused on encouraging dedication and passion rather than imposing a predetermined pathway, emphasizing support over expectation.
Upcoming Season Brings Unique Dynamics for the Stewart Family
With Leah Pruett’s return to competition after her maternity break, the stage is set for an intriguing NHRA 2026 season as she prepares to race alongside her husband, Tony Stewart. Balancing motherhood and racing will be a test of resilience and focus, making the couple’s dynamic on the track as compelling as their partnership off it. This season promises to merge family life with fierce competition, showcasing the evolving roles they both hold within the sport.
