LEAH PRUETT Returns to Top Fuel, Ready to School Husband TONY STEWART

December 3, 2025

• LEAH PRUETT is making her comeback from maternity leave with Elite Motorsports in 2026, setting up the most compelling husband-versus-wife storyline NHRA has seen. While team owner Richard Freeman talks a big game about TONY STEWART delivering an “ass-whuppin'” to his wife, PRUETT’s track record speaks louder – she was literally one round away from a championship in 2023.
• The technical setup reveals how seriously both camps are taking this rivalry. PRUETT keeps her championship-caliber crew chief Neil Strausbaugh (who also guided STEWART’s regular-season title), while STEWART gets a different operation built around Josh Hart’s former equipment. It’s not just bragging rights at stake – we’re talking about two elite operations with proven championship hardware.
• PRUETT’s confidence isn’t just talk – she’s been studying STEWART’s driving for two years and credits his emotional stability under pressure. But her parting shot reveals the real dynamic: “every driver wants to brag that they beat Tony Stewart,” and she’s the only one who gets that chance both on the track and apparently on hiking trails (complete with ankle weights, because of course she does).

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