It’s hard to imagine motorsports icon Tony Stewart being a rookie at anything in racing. But here he is, and while his Top Fuel dragster hasn’t always cooperated with the grand mission, Stewart has pulled his weight behind the wheel as best he could.
Some say it’s Stewart’s natural driving ability that has taken him this far.
He believes he has benefited from coaching by Matt Hagan and his wife Leah Pruett, which has helped him navigate the complexities of driving a Top Fuel car.
For the man the racing community has nicknamed “Smoke,” his rookie quest in Top Fuel has produced mixed emotions.
“It’s one thing to just drive it, but learning all the intricacies of it is another thing,” Stewart said. “I’ve had a big advantage that a lot of rookies don’t have. I have Matt Hagan and my wife Leah (Pruett) as a coach. It’s like going to high school and getting the cliff notes version to whatever you’re supposed to read. You learn all the things you need to know.
“Having these two around has helped shorten the learning curve drastically. I’ve really enjoyed learning it. It’s been no secret that we’re not happy with the performance of our car, but I love our guys, and I’m proud of the work they’re putting in. The results don’t match the effort that’s going into these cars. We just need some luck and get some stuff figured out to get to where we want to be.”
In one particular race, last month at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex, Stewart was on the outside of the 16-car field looking in until the last session when he got in the field. A subsequent first round loss inspired him to pass on the post-run interview with Fox’s Amanda Busick, and she conveyed the suggestion there might be another driver in the car come Vegas.
No one close to Stewart believed this, and at the last race, the event he was supposedly going to sit out, was back behind the wheel.
Hagan heard those comments following his Dallas win.
“I think that the biggest thing with Tony is he has to realize that he’s the leader of our team,” Hagan said in the Dallas postrace presser. “And sometimes you just have to put your pom poms on and come in and be up for the guys. There’s a lot of times when I come in and I’m upset or we’re not running well, but you still get in there and you grab ass with the guys and you put on a good show just because it trickles down. Everybody’s keys off everybody; I key off with Tony a lot, way back before he was even driving.
“The guy’s got a lot of good energy and a lot of good chemistry, and I just enjoy him. I really look up to him. I think he’s a good leader, and it is tough to be down. He lives in those moments of just greatness all the time. It’s hard to not be on top, but I think that it’s also one of those things when he does make the changes or do whatever it takes to get back up on top, it’ll make it that much better.”
Hagan described Stewart’s tough times as character-building. He’s learned a lot from Stewart, even though he’s had some tough times of his own.
“Tony has a lot of character, and this is just a building phase for him,” Hagan added. “He’s going to be on top and he has the resources and the people and the stuff to do what it takes to be number one. That guy, he’s not here for a participation trophy, so he’s going to do what it takes.”
There’s no bumping and banging on the drag strip like there has been for Stewart in other forms of motorsports, but in a figurative sense, that’s what he’s doing to earn a place in the Top Fuel top ten points.
Concurrently, Stewart is tied for ninth place in the with Shawn Reed, 260 points behind leader Justin Ashley.
Every pass made by championship contenders this weekend in Pomona is critical, as points and a half are awarded in the finale. The NHRA Finals will mark Stewart’s 20th career Top Fuel start and his second event at Pomona.
The last time he was in Pomona, he finished runner-up to Steve Torrence.
Stewart aims to become the 27th driver to win a Countdown race and the first rookie since Josh Hart in 2021. Stewart is also in contention for the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year award, set to be announced at season’s end.
“It would be a big honor if we’re able to win that award this season,” Stewart said. “There are some great drivers in the NHRA, and it’s one of the most diverse forms of motorsports I’ve been a part of. I’ve had a really good time working with the series this season to promote and continuing to grow the sport.”
