Tony Stewart added another entrée to his racing platter Thursday, announcing he’s now a NHRA team owner, but quickly noted that without veteran team owner Don Schumacher and Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, the team wouldn’t be a reality.

“She’s done so much work just to get us to this point of helping us understand the budget,” Stewart said about his fiancé during Thursday’s press conference at zMAX Dragway. “She’s had to lay out budgets for other teams in the past. Without Don and Leah, there’s no way this would have happened.”

Stewart is purchasing equipment for Pruett’s Top Fuel entry and Matt Hagan’s Funny Car from Schumacher, who is the two drivers’ current team owner. The team will be based in the 25,000-square-foot facility in Brownsburg, Ind., that houses Stewart’s Sprint Car operation. His NHRA team’s manufacturer, technical alliance and sponsors will be announced later. Negotiations are ongoing with various crew members.

“None of this would be possible without Don Schumacher,” Stewart said. “He’s done an amazing job of helping me understand the sport, all of its nuances, how to take care of the partners and how to make the whole program work. He has spent a lot of time with me to help us understand what it takes to be successful at this level.”

Three-time and reigning Funny Car champion Hagan admitted he was concerned about leaving an established team to join a new one.

“I’ve had 13 years with Don (Schumacher)… won three championships and runner-up twice” says Hagan, who leads the Funny Car standings with three events remaining. “But after I made it up in my mind (to leave) there was no looking back. The guy does everything the right way. He jumps in with two feet and I’m the same way. I’ve learned that Tony is not afraid to tell you how he feels, but I respect that.”

Stewart said Hagan was a “great fit for me,” noting they have similar personalities.

Pruett is in her 25th consecutive NHRA season, beginning at age 8 in the NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing League. She won the 2010 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series championship in the Nostalgia Funny Car class and has spent the last eight years in Top Fuel, collecting nine event wins. The 33-year-old California native also has pulled double duty in recent years, competing in the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, claiming that championship in 2018 for Don Schumacher Racing. She is sixth in the Top Fuel standings.

Pruett describes the new team as “unchartered territory”, but “groundbreaking” for her personally.

“This is a once in a lifetime feeling of what we have today and what we’re announcing. This is a very pivotal point in my career,” said Pruett, who hasn’t run a full season since 2018.

Since TSR’s formation in November 2000 the team has earned 27 owner championships – 14 in USAC, nine in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, and four in the All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets. TSR will continue its Sprint Car program.

Stewart also will continue to race in 2022, but will curtail his schedule.

“My dad’s 83 years old and still runs a three-quarter midget, so I’d say our genetics are strong and I’m not ready to hang the helmet up yet,” Stewart said.