At 53 years of age, Tony Stewart has become a dad. His son with Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett was born on Sunday in Phoenix just hours before the NHRA finals. The three-time Cup Series champion was beyond thrilled as he raced at the Pomona Dragstrip, in place of his wife, with the name tag “Dad” on his car. So, what he is going to be called henceforth is decided. What of the kid?
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The new parents have named him Dominic James Stewart. Tony explained how they landed on this name in an exclusive interview after the birth.
He said, “The problem is when you are 53 years old and know as many people as I do… It took out a lot of good names because of the people I knew or friends I had kids with those names. So, it made the process really hard.”
I also wondered how Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett came up with the name Dominic James Stewart. This is what Stewart said, and why there was one name that was definitely off the table: pic.twitter.com/0R9DOJlWrv
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 18, 2024
“But I knew that was a name she [Pruett] had mentioned before and really liked … I don’t care what we call him. I am just proud to have him. Man, when I saw his face today. It was an emotion that I’ve never had before.”
Dominic James is no doubt a beautiful name. But the fans would have loved seeing an “Anthony Stewart Jr.” on the race track someday. Tony had considered that as well.
He hilariously said, responding to why he didn’t go for the name, “Absolutely not! There was no way in hell I would give a kid a strike right out the gate like that.”
There aren’t a lot of happy emotions that he has missed out on being a successful professional in motorsports. But he’d affirm that the feeling of being a father trumps them all. He finished ninth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings.
“She is a stronger woman than I will ever be as a man.”
Stewart and Pruett have been married since 2021. Their love blossomed on top of their shared passion for racing. In the time he has spent loving his wife, Stewart has come to respect and admire her strong will. The birth of little Dominic has further increased his esteem for her.
He told the press, “I haven’t done near the amount of work my wife has done all year, especially the last ten months. I’m so proud of her and love her to death. She is a stronger woman than I will ever be as a man. I’m proud to be her partner in life, and I’m very proud to bring this little boy into the world.”
The racing world has seen him in many avatars. As a Cup Series driver, as a Top Fuel dragster, as an IndyCar champion, as a racing team owner, and more. Now the fraternity gets to witness him be a father for the first time. The stands shout the name of Stewart in unison to welcome Smoke’s son into the world.
