BY KAYLA ZADEL PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK BELDEN

EAH PRUETT hasn ’ t wasted any time adapting to her new role with Tony Stewart Racing ( TSR ). Her role , as she describes , is not confined to a single title , but rather , it spans across various dimensions . In fact , she was beginning to take strides in her new role while she was competing for a Top Fuel championship at the 2023 NHRA World Finals .

“ It started with conversations last year when we knew I wasn ’ t going to be in the car , and there was a particular project that came to our opportunity , and we needed somebody to take the lead on that , so I did by enrolling myself in MIT and doing coursework ,” she explains .

Even though Pruett cannot say much about the project she ’ s working on , she still feels very much part of the team .

“ I do not have any feelings of disassociation with the team since being out of the seat ,” she says . “ Because of the responsibility and opportunity that Neal [ Strausbaugh , crew chief ] has given me , we wrapped our arms around it . I think it comes back to being smart about your decisions , so I ’ m enjoying being at the track in this new role .”

Pruett , who has spent more than 25 years in the sport , has been a role model for many young girls . Now that she ’ s stepped out of the driver ’ s seat of her Top Fuel dragster to start a family , Pruett has advice for females of all ages .

“ The opportunities are endless ,” says Pruett . “ The driver ’ s seat is great , but this sport and industry fulfills passions from data analytics to mechanics , to engineering , to logistics , to marketing ; there is a discipline throughout the entire industry .

“ So , if you have a love for drag racing and you ’ re finding out what your skill set is , there ’ s a place to follow what your passion is , and it will guide you to the right spot within the sport .”

Life hasn ’ t slowed down for the Nostalgia Funny Car and Factory Stock Showdown NHRA world champion , who is also a 12-time event winner .

“ I still do all the things that are associated with driving without driving the car ,” Pruett continues . “ I still have all the sponsor obligations – appearances , signings , strategic alliances , summits . I ’ m currently writing my keynote speeches for a couple of Fortune 500 companies that I do motivational speaking for , so I ’ ve definitely stayed busy .”

Pruett is also using her time away from the driver ’ s seat for another initiative that has come into focus this past year .

“ I have been leading an initiative using my voice with the NHRA to create a pregnancy protocol in NHRA drag racing ,” Pruett explains , mentioning she has collaborated with other women in the sport . “ I have used our voice to be heard by the NHRA to implement a pregnancy policy for the upcoming and current generation of women that are racing so that they don ’ t have to make the absolute choice at a very distinct time in a season , whether they choose to start a family or not . We ’ re lobbying for something fair so you don ’ t jeopardize partnerships , sponsorships , or your crew members , and you maintain the integrity of everything that the team and driver have built , as well as fans .

“ These are all things that don ’ t have anything to do with a race car , but they have everything to do with what we consider the most diverse motorsport in the world ,” she adds . “ I am focused on empowering women to maintain and continue to be strong in this sport as equally as possible . So , my experiences have shaped an opportunity to help other generations , and I ’ m thankful for that .”

Lastly , Pruett ’ s role that does have a title within TSR is “ driver coach .” It ’ s a term she didn ’ t embrace at first when Tony Stewart , her husband and replacement Top Fuel driver for TSR , started referring to her as that , but is now getting more comfortable as the season progresses .

“ I love working with him when it comes to driving because he is such an incredible student , and we can have such thorough conversations ,” Pruett says , “ but it took him about 10 times of saying it before it really resonated with me .

“ When people tell Tony he ’ s doing a good job , he jokes , ‘ I ’ ve got a good teacher .’ It made me feel cringy inside . Like , come on , you ’ re Tony Stewart . You ’ re doing great . He ’ s like , ‘ No , Leah , you don ’ t understand . I stepped into this , and I have you , and I have Matt [ Hagan , TSR Funny Car driver ]. Any question I ever have , you are there to walk me through it , validate my opinion , change my understanding , and keep me safe . You don ’ t cut me any slack .’”

She pauses to make a joke , “ Well , yeah , that ’ s me technically , right ? That ’ s my driver coach role .”

Then Pruett continues explaining how she looks back on her own journey , stepping into a Top Fuel dragster with no one to hold her hand to make sure she was competing at her full potential .

“ Tony understands that , and it ’ s really awesome ,” Pruett says . “ So once he said that and he explained it that way , I took a little bit more pride in being his driving coach because I took it from the angle of making sure he was safe . The crew is safe , and it ’ s very important that he looks like a professional and that he ’ s a threat .”

Reflecting on the 2024 season up to this point , Pruett says , “ The round wins we ’ ve currently got means so much . It means the same as if I ’ m in the car , as when [ Tony ] is , and I believe it ’ s valued . I value our success , and I value Tony ’ s success so highly because it ’ s a representation of our efforts . I guess I ’ m enjoying living my racing career and everything that I ’ ve learned through Tony racing .” DI

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