“I Lied to Myself!” Tony Stewart Set to Square off Against His Wife Leah Pruett in the 2026 NHRA Season

Tony Stewart has recalled his past comments of not wanting to race against his wife Leah Pruett as she prepares for her return to NHRA in 2026.

“I Lied to Myself!” Tony Stewart Set to Square off Against His Wife Leah Pruett in the 2026 NHRA Season

Tony Stewart with his wife Leah Pruett (via Imagn)

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Tony Stewart started racing in the NHRA Top Fuel just to sub in for his then-pregnant wife, Leah Pruett, back in 2024. The couple welcomed a newborn son, Dominic, into the world as Pruett had to leave motorsport to take care of the child. However, following the hiatus, she is all set to return to racing in NHRA by the 2026 season. Despite Stewart initially filling the empty spot, he is also going to continue racing, and even against his wife.

With Leah Pruett returns to NHRA Top Fuel Racing, she will take back her seat at Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) in the category. Meanwhile, the husband will move to Elite Motorsports, opening the two up for fighting against one another. Stewart had recently come out of a brutal wreck on track, but is still going to continue racing, which showcases his love for the game.

In the past, Tony Stewart had always declined the possibility of racing against his wife, mainly because of the complications that came with it. However, now, Stewart has retraced his past comments and provided clarity on the matter. The 54-year-old insisted that he lied to himself when he said he would never race against Leah Pruett at NHRA.

Over the years, he filled in for Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart grew close to the sport and developed a passion for NHRA like no other. Moreover, after getting a great racing opportunity with Elite Motorsports, Stewart believed that the deal was too good to let go. Hence, it would be very interesting to witness the couple race head-to-head and fight one another for the race win.

I said I would not race against my wife. I’ve lied to myself—obviously. Yeah, I have a great opportunity with Richard Freeman and everyone at Elite Motorsports to drive a Top Fuel car next year. And I didn’t think that would even be a possibility, nor did I honestly, at first and on paper, think it was a very good idea.

Tony Stewart said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour

Tony Stewart reveals the ‘worst part’ of racing against Leah Pruett

Leah Pruett already has a proven track record in NHRA and has a lot of experience over Tony Stewart. Although Stewart has more recent experience, Pruett still has an edge over him, purely because of her extended time in the sport, regardless of the hiatus. As such, the 54-year-old will face stiff competition from his wife on the track in the coming season.

Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart
Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart (Via IMAGO)

Tony Stewart joked that if he were to win a race against Leah Pruett, she would be upset with him and potentially kick him out of the bedroom and make him sleep on the couch. On the contrary, if he were to lose against Pruett, people online would just lambast him for losing to his wife and being the worst driver out of the two. Hence, Stewart believed that this was the worst part of going up against his wife in the coming season of NHRA.

I thought, if we race each other and I win, I get kicked to the couch for an undisclosed amount of time. If I lose, then I have to sit there and listen to my phone blow up about how I got my ass kicked by my wife. Yeah, that would typically be the worst part of it.

Tony Stewart noted.

The 2026 season of NHRA would be highly exciting as it will put forth some surprising situations. Both Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett are great racers and also a lovely couple, which makes the situation all the more exciting. Now, time will tell about how the two battle it out on the track and maintain professionalism when it matters the most.

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