LEAH PRUETT Returns as BRITTANY FORCE Retires in NHRA’s Musical Chairs Season

March 5, 2026

• LEAH PRUETT makes her highly anticipated return to NHRA competition after a two-year hiatus focusing on family, stepping back into the driver’s seat of the R+L Carrier car. Her comeback adds serious firepower to Tony Stewart Racing’s lineup and proves that taking time for life priorities doesn’t mean sacrificing championship ambitions. We love seeing a driver who can balance family and fierce competition without compromise.
• BRITTANY FORCE exits at the absolute top of her game, retiring while holding an iron grip on drag racing’s most prestigious records – including a mind-bending 3.623 seconds and 343.51 mph. She owns seven of the ten fastest speeds ever recorded and remains the only Top Fuel driver to crack 340 mph multiple times. This isn’t a retirement due to lack of success – it’s a champion choosing family timing on her own terms, which is exactly how it should be done.
• The domino effect continues with ALEXIS DEJORIA joining the legendary John Force Racing operation in Funny Car, while MADDIE GORDON steps up from Alcohol Funny Car to take the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster for Ron Capp’s NAPA Race Team. These aren’t token additions – these are proven drivers earning their spots in premier rides through talent and results, exactly the kind of merit-based advancement we want to see across the sport.
• International talent JASMINE SALINAS returns for a partial schedule in her Scrappers Top Fuel Dragster, joined by Swedish former champion IDA ZETTERSTROM who’ll split driving duties with Shawn Reed. Meanwhile, three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion ANGELLE SAMPEY eyes a 10-race Top Fuel schedule with Antron Brown’s support. The depth of female talent across multiple classes proves this isn’t about quotas – it’s about qualified drivers getting the opportunities they’ve earned.

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