NHRA Top Fuel championship contender Leah Pruett has a long history of drag racing at Pomona, Calif. – not just in the nitro-powered class but dating back to when she was in the second or third grade in nearby Redlands.

The racetrack has changed names more than once, and now it’s In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, home of this weekend’s Auto Club Finals. And Pruett, for the first time in her career, is ranked third in the standings, just 34 points off leader Steve Torrence’s pace.

“Pomona defines, I feel like, who I am, to some degree, as a drag racer. So I think that brings out some extra emotions. Winning a race there is always spectacular,” the two-time winner at the fabled facility (the 2017 and 2021 Winternationals) said, “but a world finals is something totally different.”

Pruett has some unforgettable moments at Pomona, many positive, others just lingering.

“That’s where I made my first pass ever,” she said, reminiscing. “I was in the left lane. It was my birthday. I was eight. On Saturday I was seven. On Sunday I was eight.

“I’ve had a lot of highs and lows there,” she said. “Specifically, if I lost in a Jr. Dragster, my dad [the late Ron Pruett] made me push the car back [to the pits]. And I wasn’t strong enough to take the belt off, so that was quite a challenge. And if someone else tried to help tow me back, my dad would get in fistfights in the pits. So I have those types of memories.

“Driving in my first national event was actually in a Funny Car, driving for John Lindsay. And it blew up on the starting line, in my face. I was on fire,” Pruett said. “I feel like Pomona has brought a lot of challenges, a lot of memories. And I actually won my Nostalgia Funny Car championship there. It was the finals from the Hot Rod Reunion that had gotten pushed to the Pomona race. We won that final, won that championship.”

That’s the moment that set the stage for her biggest test this weekend. That day, Pruett said, “I felt like I got to be with The Big Kids. The Big Kids were racing, and I was there, always thinking, ‘Someday’ as a kid: Someday I would like to do this.’ We’ve competed in Top Fuel for eight years there, and this coming weekend is that ‘someday’ to make that absolute dream come true.”

Of course, she knows full well the capabilities of her two biggest roadblocks to her first Top Fuel championship. Torrence and No. 2 Doug Kalitta are experienced, but hearing their thoughts about the upcoming last week of the season during a virtual press conference this week, Pruett said, “I’ve never been in this situation. It’s good to hear my competitors talk about where they’re at coming into this race and knowing that we’re all in the same mental space.”

That was reassuring, but she also received some valuable advice from Tony Stewart Racing teammate Matt Hagan, who’s leading the field into the Funny Car showdown.  On the eve of race day in 2020, hours before he wrapped up his third title, Hagan went to dinner and ordered an expensive steak and admitted that he couldn’t enjoy it because he was so stressed about eliminations. So he shared some wisdom with Pruett.

“I said, ‘Don't let this position make you do something that you normally wouldn't do. Like, what have you done to get yourself here? Maybe you had a beer in the evenings, maybe you worked out a certain way. Don't change your routine. Don't overdo it. Just be you. If you wanted to go out that night and have a drink, have a drink. If you wanted to go to bed early like you normally do, go to bed early. But don't let this situation put you in an environment that's not comfortable or something you're not used to because that's when you mess up, when you're trying to do something more than you need to do. Just keep doing what you're doing, and it'll fall into place,” he said.

“I always look at Top Gun. Iceman wins the top gun because he's just cool, man. He's just smooth. He doesn't make mistakes. He's not overthinking anything. That's the way you always got to be. Just be cool with it,” Hagan said. “No one does good with pressure. Anybody that tells you that they do, they're lying to you. You have that feeling because it's not normal. For me, it's just learning to turn that nervous energy into something that's exciting.”

She echoed that strategy for her Direct Connection Dodge Dragster team. With championships in Nostalgia Funny Car and Factory Stock Showdown classes, she said, “There’s nothing more special than accomplishing something with your team.” Coupled with that hometown angle this weekend, she showed sentimentality is significant: “Being able to be home and to bring something home is kind of what drives me.”

Pruett did say she would approach this weekend differently: “We always focus on qualifying well out of the gate, but there is extra importance on every single run. With the points being so tight, we could possibly make up ground in qualifying alone, or at least make moving up more realistic come Sunday.

“As a driver, I am going to approach this weekend differently. What I have been doing on Sundays hasn’t always worked for me. I’m taking every aspect of my preparation and doing everything I can to ensure to utilize what does work and dismiss what doesn’t. No more superstitions, no more what-ifs, no counting points, just racing to win each round and win the race,” she said. “I always give 110 percent every race, but my best needs to be the best, not just good enough. I’m always working towards that, but just like in any of my workouts, the homestretch is where I sprint to exhaustion and not just cruise through the finish line.”