LEAH PRUETT’s Journey From Pink Ribbon Rookie to Top Fuel Championship Glory

April 25, 2025

• LEAH PRUETT’s racing DNA runs deep – starting Jr. Dragster competition on her eighth birthday after watching her sister compete, she endured the humiliation of a mandatory pink rookie ribbon during her first 21-second, 24-mph pass. That five-horsepower Briggs & Stratton beginning led to 37 Jr. Dragster victories and two Division 7 championships by age 16, proving early that she had the competitive fire to dominate whatever class she entered.
• Her transition through NHRA’s ranks showcases the kind of steady progression we love to see from women who refuse to be limited by expectations. PRUETT conquered the Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, claimed the 2010 Nostalgia Funny Car championship, and became the first driver to break 250 mph in that class. She then moved to Pro Mod where she collected three national event wins before making the jump to Top Fuel in 2013.
• Since joining Top Fuel, PRUETT has racked up 12 race wins while building cars with the mechanical skills her late father instilled in her. Now married to NASCAR’s Tony Stewart and mother to son Dominic, she’s stepped back from regular competition but hasn’t definitively hung up her helmet. Her journey from that pink-ribboned rookie to Top Fuel champion represents exactly the kind of long-term career building that creates lasting change in motorsports.

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