Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett are one of the most celebrated couples in motorsports. They married in 2021 and were blessed with a baby boy named Dominic in 2024. In a recent conversation with former racer Kenny Wallace, Stewart spoke about how his relationship with Pruett showed him that there was a life beyond racing.
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The discussion began with Wallace narrating how Kyle Busch once told him about losing the “high” of a race win just five hours after reaching Victory Lane. The two-time Cup Series champion used to get depressed after a successful Sunday, and it was his wife, Samantha, who helped him get out of the rut. Wallace’s question to Stewart was if Pruett had done the same for him.
Stewart noted that he didn’t get depressed regardless of what the outcome of a race was. However, compulsive thoughts about the next race were almost immediately on his mind.
His professional career and success in it were all he cared about. Stewart said, “If it didn’t go good on Sunday, it wasn’t good when I got home on Sunday. It wasn’t good at home on Monday.”
“It wasn’t good on Tuesday. It wasn’t good on Wednesday all the way till you a chance to fix it the next weekend.”
Even if Sunday went well, his mind was refocused on how he could replicate the success the next Sunday. So, what did Pruett change in this mental approach? Stewart added, “She gave me a reason to think about something other than that race car.”
Pruett’s positive effect on Stewart’s approach to life
Through her influence, he started focusing on being a partner and a father when the sun rose on a Monday, regardless of what the outcome was the previous day. Now, with little Dominic brought into the family, Stewart is only more appreciative of the pleasures that await him outside the race track.
He continued, “We are not wired right. We don’t think right. We get so obsessed with what we do. Successful business people are wired that way, too. That’s all they think about… The next business deal and how they take what they have and make it better. So, it is a challenge. I think having that significant other in your life changes that.”
