Fatherhood has already delivered a whirlwind of emotions and challenges for NHRA driver Tony Stewart.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, while competing in Pomona, California, for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, Stewart received life-changing news: his wife, Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, had gone into labor in Lake Havasu, Arizona, with their first child.
After securing seventh place in qualifying, Stewart, famously known as “Smoke,” made a frantic dash to the airport. He successfully arrived at the hospital just in time to witness the birth of their son, Dominic James, in the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 17.
Only four hours after Dominic’s arrival, Stewart boarded another flight back to Pomona to compete in the semifinals of the NHRA Finals. That evening, at 7 p.m., he returned once more to Arizona to be with his family.
“I think I’ve run on adrenaline all day,” Stewart admitted in a social media video. “I literally showed up at the racetrack this morning on two hours’ sleep, and I didn’t do near the work that my wife did in the last year, and especially the last 10 months.”
Reflecting on the experience, the former NASCAR champion added: “The short three hours that I got to spend with [Dominic] overnight, you couldn’t put a price tag on it. I would do it all over again for that little boy and for my wife and for our family. I didn’t win a championship. I didn’t win a race today, but I feel like I put today in the category of wins and championships.”
Stewart, 53, and Pruett, 36, who tied the knot in November 2021 in Mexico, shared their joy and gratitude for the weekend’s events. Leah, in an Instagram post, detailed the dramatic and emotional experience of giving birth while balancing the importance of Stewart’s racing commitments.
“Ultimately, it was God’s will of how it all went down, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” Leah wrote. “Tony was able to fly in after Q4, as my labor really ramped up, supporting me the entire night. There had been a lot of big talk on his end for months about how he wasn’t going to be in the room, but let me tell you, he was there for every moment and helping me through it all.”
She continued: “After nine hours of building labor and 1.5 hours of pushing, I got to hold our perfect baby boy, and Tony did, in fact, cut the cord. We are so happy with hearts so full. Giving birth was the most exhausting thing my body and mind has ever experienced.”
To cap off the monumental weekend, Stewart was named NHRA Rookie of the Year at the NHRA awards ceremony on Monday, Nov. 18. A perfect ending to an unforgettable chapter for the Stewart-Pruett family.
