Leah Pruett’s racing hiatus is non permanent, however her title as a “Dodge Mother” will probably be everlasting. The 12-time NHRA High Gas Nationwide Occasion winner, married to NASCAR icon Tony Stewart, dropped her strongest trace but a couple of return to pull racing throughout a current Gainesville Raceway press convention.
Since stepping again in late 2024 to welcome son Dominic, Pruett has balanced diaper obligation with dyno assessments whereas Stewart fills her seat of their Dodge-powered dragster. Her absence hasn’t dimmed her affect. Behind the scenes, she mentors crews and fine-tunes setups whereas plotting a comeback she calls inevitable. For Stewart, the message is non-negotiable: The second she revs her engines, he’ll yield the cockpit.
Leah Pruett’s Balancing Act of Motherhood and Muscle Automobiles
Pruett’s world since November 2024 orbits two universes: new child chaos and nitro-burning precision. The 36-year-old gave delivery to Dominic simply hours earlier than the 2024 NHRA Finals, swapping fireplace fits for midnight feedings. However the monitor’s siren name persists.
She juggles pit crew technique classes with child naps and troubleshooting clutch setups between diaper adjustments. Stewart, who changed her in Tony Stewart Racing’s High Gas Dragster, admits her twin function astounds him.
“She’s not sitting on her fingers all day away from the child—she’s working on this pit. So she has a full schedule, and now we have assist with Dominic right here; issues have gone actually, rather well,” he stated.
The three-time NASCAR champ is aware of his seat is borrowed. “That race automobile is her race automobile, and when she’s able to get again in, I’ll instantly get again out,” he emphasized.
“If mid-season, she says, I wanna get again in that automobile, I’ll gladly step out of that automobile for my spouse.”
Pruett’s timeline stays fluid, however her resolve isn’t. “I didn’t assume that I might do a job for Dodge, for our followers, and be partaking with the workforce like I like to be, and in addition be a mother at Dodge,” she teased. “I’m a Dodge mother,” she burst into laughter.
Pruett’s Dodge Loyalty and the Street Again to the Monitor
A renewed multi-year cope with Dodge provides torque to Pruett’s return plans. The automaker’s dedication to Tony Stewart Racing, netting 16 NHRA wins since 2022, anchors the workforce’s future.
“It’s such a testomony to what Dodge stands for, proper? Energy and muscle,” Pruett stated.
Stewart, who reached two finals in 2024, filling Pruett’s seat, credit her legacy for his or her success. The synergy between Pruett, Stewart, and Humorous Automotive star Matt Hagan has turned TSR right into a nitro powerhouse. However Stewart’s stint has an expiration date. “That’s her workforce, and I’m simply the fill-in man,” he vowed.
Pruett’s comeback path stays murky. She juggles developmental tasks for Dodge whereas mastering motherhood, calling Dominic her “lottery win.” Stewart, in the meantime, savors fatherhood’s sudden perks. A awful run stings much less when met together with his son’s grin.
Pruett’s return hinges on greater than pace—it’s about legacy. For Dominic, for Dodge, and for a sport she helped redefine. The countdown to her comeback ticks quietly, drowned out by giggles and the idle rumble of a Hemi ready for its queen.
