Tag: Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart discusses Stewart-Haas Racing’s future with NextGen car in 2024

Tony Stewart talks about Stewart-Haas Racing’s future with the NextGen car in 2024. Find out what Stewart had to say about the NextGen car!

[autotag]Stewart-Haas Racing[/autotag] hasn’t been competing up to its standards over the last two seasons. Specifically, that is when the NextGen car was introduced to the NASCAR Cup Series. Stewart-Haas Racing had three wins in 2022 but failed to enter victory lane last year. Now, with a revamped lineup, the NASCAR team is looking to find success again.

[autotag]Tony Stewart[/autotag], a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and talked about the team’s struggles with the NextGen car. Stewart addressed the team’s future with the car and how it can overcome its struggles.

“This new car has really been a struggle for our organization and it’s like I told these guys, everything is in front of us now,” Stewart said. “There’s nothing behind us. It’s not like you’re looking for somebody chasing you down. We’re at the bottom of the barrel in my opinion and our performance is already in the tank.”

“We have nothing but everything in front of us, so don’t look behind, don’t look over your shoulder, and make sure that you understand that every one of these people in the room are all working for the same reasons and you got to have each other’s back. I think that resonated with our group and they realize that we gotta get our noses to the ground.”

Stewart understands the need for his NASCAR organization to turn it around. In fact, the former driver said that major changes will be on tap if Stewart-Haas Racing struggles again. With no Kevin Harvick or Aric Almirola, it will be tough; however, Stewart-Haas Racing will be up to the challenge as they look to compete at a higher level again.

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Tony Stewart open to ‘major’ changes if Stewart-Haas Racing struggles in 2024

Tony Stewart is open to “major” changes if Stewart-Haas Racing struggles in 2024. Find out what Stewart said about the NASCAR organization!

[autotag]Stewart-Haas Racing[/autotag] has not been up to par over the last two NASCAR Cup Series seasons, and anyone within the organization would say the same. In fact, Stewart-Haas Racing went winless in the Cup Series during 2023 but saw success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series when Cole Custer claimed the organization’s first series championship.

Recently, Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner [autotag]Tony Stewart[/autotag] went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and was honest about the expected results heading into the new campaign. If Stewart-Haas Racing doesn’t turn it around, expect some significant changes to be on the way.

“If [Stewart-Haas Racing]’s not having the results we’re looking for, we’re going to start making some major changes,” Stewart said. “Everybody knows that. Everybody understands that. It’s those guys’ jobs at SHR to take what we have and make it better.”

“It doesn’t mean we’ve got to go out and win eight or 10 races this season, but we need to see the needle move in the right direction. We need to make progress.”

Stewart is not shy about his competitive nature, and this is a prime example. Stewart-Haas Racing has been struggling with the NextGen car, and it’s time for some improvement. With Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola leaving the team, this is a critical year for the organization. Stewart still cares about winning, and his NASCAR team needs to figure it out.

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Tony Stewart is taking over his wife Leah Pruett’s Top Fuel car for a beautiful reason

There’s a good reason for this.

Tony Stewart and NHRA racer Leah Pruett had an announcement on Thursday that might surprise people: He’s taking over her Top Fuel car driven by his wife for 2024.

The reason? The couple are looking into starting a family.

Per a post from Stewart on X (formerly Twitter): “When your wife wants to try to start a family & wants you to drive her car, what are you going to say? I’m proud of [Pruett] & excited we’re going to focus on starting a family in 2024. I’m humbled Leah & Neal Strausbaugh felt I was the driver to fill in for her.”

Pruett also released a statement: “This decision did not happen overnight, and I feel that stepping out of the seat right now is what’s best for myself and Tony to start a family. This has been one of the most difficult decisions to make because of what we have collectively created at TSR, a highly successful program and enjoyable operation. I’m excited about how competitive this team is, and to be able to have Tony compete in a very safe, vetted, well-performing car with an established team.”

Stewart moving into Top Fuel as he and Pruett look to start a family

Leah Pruett has made the decision to step out of her NHRA Top Fuel dragster in 2024 as she and husband Tony Stewart focus on starting a family, with Stewart taking over her driving seat. Pruett, who finished second to Doug Kalitta in the …

Leah Pruett has made the decision to step out of her NHRA Top Fuel dragster in 2024 as she and husband Tony Stewart focus on starting a family, with Stewart taking over her driving seat.

Pruett, who finished second to Doug Kalitta in the championship last season in a winner-take-all season finale, is not pregnant. However, she doesn’t want to disrupt her Tony Stewart Racing team during the season as those plans move forward. In the meantime, Pruett will compete in the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in early February.

Stewart will move into the Top Fuel ranks driving Pruett’s car. He ran a full season of NHRA Top Alcohol with McPhillips Racing last season.

“Drag racing has been an important part of my life for over three quarters of my life,” Pruett said. “27 years of racing in the NHRA has molded who I am and I am extremely grateful for the life it has given me. Through a long series of thought processes and a decision that did not happen overnight, I feel that stepping out of the seat right now is what’s best for myself and Tony to start a family.

“This has been one of the most difficult decisions to make because of what we have collectively created at TSR; a highly successful program and enjoyable operation. I had the best finish of my entire career. To step away from that can be a challenging move, but I had already made up my mind long before we were deep in the championship hunt. I’m excited about how competitive this team is, developed through the leadership of Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala, and to be able to have Tony compete in a very safe, vetted and well-performing car with an established team makes my heart happy.”

Pruett earned two victories in 2023. A runner-up finish in the Top Fuel championship was a career-best.

“Our final-round appearance at the World Finals brought me the closest I’ve ever been to fulfilling a life-long dream of winning a Top Fuel world championship,” Pruett said. “We were so close that we could taste it, but it wasn’t our time. Ultimately, it will be up to the Lord if we are blessed with what so many share as their greatest joy in life, a family of their own. While Tony and I prefer to keep our personal lives private, we’re honored to share in this announcement with our partners, team members, and fans.

“There are no guarantees or promises on when I will be back in the seat, but I have every intention of returning as soon as I can. Everything in my heart says that I will return to driving Top Fuel as soon as I feel ready, especially after being so close to winning it all this year. For now, I am thrilled that Tony is getting a well-performing, safe car with an excellent caliber of people, both personally and professionally.”

Stewart finished second in the NHRA Top Alcohol championship after earning four victories across the regional and national events. In the move to Top Fuel in the Dodge/SRT Direct Connection dragster, Stewart will work with crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala. His debut in the Top Fuel class will be in the season-opening events at Gainesville in early March.

“I am very proud of my wife,” Stewart said. “To make a decision like this has got to be extremely hard. I don’t think from a male’s perspective that we can fully grasp it. To be a competitive, professional race car driver and have to make the decision to take yourself out of the seat to start a family is not a position most males would want to be put in.

“We had discussed starting a family and this was her decision. In those discussions, we came to the conclusion that the timing was up to her. I was very supportive as to whether she wanted to do it now or years from now. I’m very humbled that Leah and Neal felt I was the driver to fill in for her. I feel honored that I can do that for my wife and this team.”

Pruett, 35, and Stewart, 52, started dating in 2020 and were married in the fall of 2021.

Tony Stewart calls out NASCAR drivers after championship race in 2023

Tony Stewart calls out NASCAR drivers after the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix in 2023. Find out what Stewart had to say!

[autotag]Tony Stewart[/autotag] received the opportunity to celebrate his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship as an owner when Cole Custer took the No. 00 car to victory lane at Phoenix Raceway. It was a massive day for Stewart-Haas Racing in a bittersweet weekend as Kevin Harvick competed in his final NASCAR Cup Series race as a full-time driver.

Stewart was at Phoenix for the entire weekend and even made a comment about the NASCAR Truck Series event, which was the night before the Xfinity Series. After watching the event, it is not surprising that Stewart didn’t hold back his thoughts.

“Maybe the [NASCAR Truck Series] drivers will pay attention and learn something from tonight,” Stewart said. “You don’t have to destroy each other to win races and championships.”

Stewart was blunt but right. Corey Heim was penalized 25 points and fined $12,500 for intentionally wrecking Carson Hocevar with three laps to go. This was after Hocevar accidentally spun Heim. Then, the race went to four overtimes. It was a wild yet messy night. Stewart had every right to call out the Truck Series drivers as it was embarrassing for NASCAR.

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Which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Homestead?

Which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway? Check out who tops the list in Miami!

NASCAR doesn’t have a very long history with Homestead-Miami Speedway but it has produced great moments dating back to the 1999 season. Since that point, the NASCAR Cup Series has competed in 24 races. However, which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Homestead? Well, the answer is a trio of successful competitors in the sport’s history.

[autotag]Tony Stewart[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Biffle[/autotag], and [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] have three victories at Homestead, which makes them the most successful drivers at the track in NASCAR history. Stewart won the first two Cup Series races at the venue and in 2011 while Biffle won three straight from 2004-2006. Meanwhile, Hamlin has won on three occasions in 2009, 2013, and 2020.

As for the next active NASCAR driver with the most wins at Homestead, Kyle Busch holds the second spot with two victories. Busch is the only driver that can equal Stewart, Biffle, and Hamlin at the next event but several drivers with one victory can join Busch at second overall as an active competitor.

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Stewart wins on SRX return to Eldora

Tony Stewart held off Hailie Deegan over a pair of late restarts at Eldora Speedway to claim his first Camping World SRX victory of the season. For much of the night, the battle was for second place with Deegan, Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader all …

Tony Stewart held off Hailie Deegan over a pair of late restarts at Eldora Speedway to claim his first Camping World SRX victory of the season.

For much of the night, the battle was for second place with Deegan, Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader all taking turns hounding “Smoke” throughout the 75-lap main event. With his feature victory, Stewart completed a clean sweep of the night following his victories in the first heat from the third starting position and winning the second heat after a complete inversion of the first heat’s running order.

“I have so many mixed emotions because I see tonight from a driver standpoint, a track owner standpoint and a series standpoint,” said Stewart. “It’s special to race here, much less win here, because I haven’t even raced here in a long time. So when we did our ESPN interview, I wanted them to pick off the crowd, the fans, so I told my crew chief that we were going to climb the fence. He told me I was crazy, but I told him that’s exactly what we’re going to do, and we dragged TV over there and they were going nuts for it. This was a special win and a special night for me.”

For Deegan, the runner-up finish testified to her growing confidence in amongst the oval racing veterans.

“It was special. I have gained a lot of confidence the past two weeks especially, racing against these guys, and I think I had started to lose some of it this year,” she said. “It’s been a challenging year on the Truck Series side, and I needed some races like this to remind me that I can get on the wheel, be aggressive, and continue to get better. I really feel like we were all racing for second but that was intense racing with Ryan too. Everyone is just so good in these cars.”

With a third-place finish in the feature, Newman inched closer to a series championship, needing only a top five in the final feature of the season at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., to seal the accomplishment. He could also claim the championship though heat race points next week. Stewart is second, 39 points behind, while reigning champion Marco Andretti is third, 47 points back.

“The championship really does matter to me and I think you see it in my results with top-fives in each race, a couple of podiums, and it’s something I have really put a lot into after last year,” Newman said. “I’m proud of my consistency this year especially when you think of the caliber of drivers that have come in here this year and to compete at that level. Winning the championship would mean a lot to me next week and I just hope we can add a win at Lucas Oil. That would be the perfect way to close out and send our season home, climbing the top step of the podium.”  

The feature was also a survival race as Schrader, Brad Keselowski and Ron Capps all raced their way into the top-five at various points of the night only to find trouble around one of the treacherous dirt corners. The Camping World SRX road crew was challenged early in the night when a five-car crash terminally damaged two of the competitor’s cars. That crash began when Austin Dillon ruptured a radiator hose due to engine overheating, sending his car into the wall, and dropping so much water on the backstretch of the Turn 3 clay half-mile that several others just piled into the melee. Deegan, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Chase Briscoe were all collected in the ordeal.

Andretti and Deegan, full-time championship drivers, were placed in backup cars for the rest of the night while Kanaan was sidelined for the evening.

Briscoe, making his Camping World SRX debut, had been excited to race against his hero and NASCAR boss Stewart, and still got to accomplish the goal by the end of the night, as the road crew was able to repair the No. 57 by halfway through the feature. Briscoe completed the race and was able to go side-by-side with Stewart at least once in the night.

10 peculiar things you didn’t know about the Indy 500

Brush up on your Indy 500 history with these odd and fun facts.

This story was originally published in 2019 and has been updated.

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the oldest and greatest motor sports events in the entire world, capturing the attention of diehard racing fans and once-a-year viewers a like.

The first Indy 500 was back in 1911, so with more than a century of history, it’s hard to keep track of every detail and quirk related to the race and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway where it’s held. So here are 10 peculiar lesser-known facts about the race.

MORE INDY 500: Meet the true hero of the Indy 500’s bizarre celebratory tradition: The Veteran Milk Man

Tony Stewart claims first NHRA win at Las Vegas

It was a historic double for Tony Stewart Racing on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as Hall of Fame racer Tony Stewart and Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan both claimed victories in front of a capacity crowd at the NHRA Four-Wide …

It was a historic double for Tony Stewart Racing on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as Hall of Fame racer Tony Stewart and Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan both claimed victories in front of a capacity crowd at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also took NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series victories.

Stewart, who made his NHRA debut last season in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, won in just his fourth career start, going 5.324 seconds at 269.62 mph in the final round in his Mobil 1 dragster. The legendary racer was the runner-up in his NHRA debut at the fall race in Las Vegas last year, picking up a memorable first win on Sunday, now giving Stewart wins in NHRA, NASCAR and IndyCar, as well as victories on every track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“When we raced here last fall, I was just ecstatic to make the finals, but today I told Leah (Pruett, wife and Top Fuel racer), ‘I’m not happy to just be in the finals today. I said I want this,’” Stewart said. “I thoroughly enjoyed four-wide racing. I’ll be honest, to me, it feels like it kind of brings that short track feel, like the first few rounds it felt like heat races. It’s hard not to like it when you win, but I think it’s a cool deal.”

Hagan strengthened his points leads with his third win in the first four races in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, going 3.943 at 326.79 in the final round in his 11,000-horsepower Haas Automation Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT. It gives Hagan his 46th career win in what’s been a dominant start to his 2023 season, plus a memorable moment to share in the winner’s circle with Stewart.

“I went up there, and I was like, ‘Tony’s won, no pressure,’ you know? And then he comes and crawls under the body and says, ‘I just won, you better win. Let’s go.’ But it’s great to share this winner’s circle with Tony Stewart, it’s a huge highlight of my career,” Hagan said.

Hagan finished first in all three rounds, building a 105-point already in the loaded Funny Car ranks. The four-wide events have generally been a struggle for the multi-time champ, but he solved it in impressive fashion on Sunday.

“I’ve done everything in the four-wide from not staging the car on time to red lighting to not knowing which lane I’m in, so you’ve got to kind of dummy it down,” Hagan said. “You get lucky out here, you do a good job, and you try to dumb it down to make sure that you’re figuring out where you’re at and what you’re doing.”

Brown claimed his first win of the Top Fuel season in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools Toyota dragster and 72nd in his career, delivering his best run of the day in the finals, going 3.760 at 319.75 in a star-studded final round that also featured Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and Josh Hart. Brown finished second to Force in both of the first two quads but posted a .053 reaction time in the final round to grab his third career victory in Las Vegas.

The final round featured a group with nine career world championships to their credit and Brown delivered a championship-worthy performance, one that could pay big dividends down the road.

“When you go four-wide racing, it’s crazy. It’s kind of a battle royal,” Brown said. “Every round is a tough matchup and that showed in the final round. But I’m super pumped and super proud of my guys. I just want to keep getting better and better. We know when the Countdown comes, you have to be strong, so to come and get that win today, it’s definitely a statement for us. It was a heck of win and I’m super pumped. Again, our main focus is to keep improving and getting better.”

Torrence finished as the runner-up and also moved into the Top Fuel points lead.

In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn got his redemption from last year’s four-wide race in Las Vegas, picking up his second straight win by going 6.649 at 206.29 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. It gave him his sixth career victory and it came on a holeshot, as Glenn posted a .039 reaction time, which was enough to hold off Troy Coughlin’s 6.646 at 206.35 in a final quad that also included Cristian Cuadra and Deric Kramer. A year ago, Glenn lost in the final quad in a race he felt he would have won and the young standout was determined to make up for it this year.

He did that and then some, winning his opening quad and finishing second in the second round to advance to the finals. Glenn was again strong on the starting line when it counted, earning his second career victory at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and staying in the points lead.

“It’s the best car I’ve ever had by far and it feels good to show what this car is capable of,” Glenn said. “I want to keep this momentum going as long as I can. I’m definitely one of those examples of if you put your head down and work hard, you can pretty much achieve all of your dreams. I’m definitely living my dream right now.

“There is no doubt about that. These cars are so much fun to drive. Even when stuff isn’t going your way they’re still so much fun to drive. I’m trying not to look too far ahead, I’m just trying to enjoy the moment right now.”

Coughlin advanced to the final quad by winning the first two quads, earning his ninth career final round berth.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action with the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 28-30 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.

Racing, NASCAR worlds wish Jimmie Johnson good luck in first Indy 500: ‘You know what to do’

NASCAR drivers and other racers are very excited for Indy 500 rookie Jimmie Johnson.

The Indianapolis 500 is always a huge deal as one of the biggest races in the world and on the single greatest motor sports day in the world.

Sunday, in addition to the Indy 500 (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC), there’s also Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. So race car drivers around the world have been super busy lately, but many in racing still found time to wish Jimmie Johnson good luck for his big day.

Johnson — a seven-time NASCAR champ turned IndyCar driver — will make his Indy 500 debut Sunday, living out a childhood dream of his. When For The Win recently asked Johnson if he thinks NASCAR drivers might be envious of his Indy 500 opportunity, he said it probably goes beyond stock car racing:

“Oh, I think so. I think all drivers want to race in all marquee events. Everybody wants a shot at it. Hopefully, my time here will inspire others to come do it because I know there’s a lot of great talent in all forms of racing that would really enjoy this experience.”

So ahead of one of the biggest Sunday’s of Johnson’s extensive racing career, his racing pals, especially in NASCAR, shared sweet messages and wished their former competitor good luck in his Indy 500 debut.

In addition to those at Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson’s former NASCAR team, including former crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Cliff Daniels, racing stars like Mario Andretti and Tony Stewart shared their excitement and encouragement: