Motorsports legend Tony Stewart announced his return to NHRA Top Fuel racing for the 2025 season during a Race Industry Week session on Tuesday. This follows his rookie year, which earned him NHRA Rookie of the Year honors.
Stewart finished ninth in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series standings. He expressed enthusiasm for continuing his journey in Top Fuel racing.
“I am going to be back in the Top Fuel car again next year,” Stewart told Joe Castello on the ePatrtrade.com Race Industry Week podcast.
Stewart’s wife, Top Fuel standout Leah Pruett, gave birth to their son, Dominic, on race day during the NHRA World Finals at Pomona Dragstrip.
“She absolutely looks amazing. Looking at her, you wouldn’t even tell she just delivered a little boy to us,” said Stewart. He praised his wife’s strength and commitment as she plans to focus on motherhood this season.
In his debut season, Stewart made two final-round appearances and four semifinal finishes, solidifying his status as a promising Top Fuel racer. He took over Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster earlier this year as the couple geared up for their family expansion.
“I’m kind of fighting it a little bit,” Stewart remarked about returning to the driver’s seat. “But the bonus is, I get to drive a Top Fuel car again next year.”
The 53-year-old, who was named 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year, confirmed in an interview that he will be back in the Top Fuel dragster in 2025. He is eager for another campaign that combines both racing challenges and the responsibilities of fatherhood.
There’s a good chance he might not be the only Stewart running up and down the NHRA drag strips, as Stewart revealed in an interview with Autoweek’s Susan Wade that his 86-year-old father, Nelson Stewart, has an interest in taking up drag racing.
“I don’t know that 100%,” Tony Stewart said about his father’s plans. “But I can confirm that he has talked to a lot of people,” including top competitors and sportsman racers.”
Apparently, the elder Stewart still dabbles in race cars —Legends cars, three-quarter midgets, according to his son.
“He has a lot of interest in it. If he wants to race, by God, we’re not going to tell him he can’t race.”
And just like that, a busy 2024 season will likely pale in busyness to what 2025 will likely bring.
