“There’s Nothing I Can Do”: Tony Stewart Opens Up on the Struggles of Drag Racing in Contrast to NASCAR

Tony Stewart bid adieu to his full-time NASCAR career back in 2015, yet he maintained his ties to the sport by co-owning Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas since 2009. But with the curtain falling on the team’s NASCAR Cup Series operations in 2024, Stewart has shifted his gears towards NHRA drag racing.

While he’s still adjusting to the new arena, Stewart is actively getting into the drag racing mindset. Transitioning from enduring 3.5-hour races to blasting down a drag strip in just 3.5 seconds marks a dramatic change for Stewart.

In NHRA, the bulk of the car’s performance — around 70% — hinges on the skills of tuners and crew chiefs, leaving the driver with a comparatively lesser role in how quickly the car speeds up, opined the 3-time Cup Series champion.

In the world of NASCAR and sprint cars, the driver’s prowess plays a pivotal role, accounting for roughly 70% of the success equation. The magic happens through their adept handling — how they work the pedals, maneuver the steering, and master the intricacies of the track, leaving the remaining 30% in the hands of the crew chief and the team.

Reflecting on the stark contrast he’s encountered while seemingly going fast in a straight line, Stewart observed, “They [drivers] can manipulate the race car a little bit to a certain degree and make up for what it’s not doing that they need it to do. The NHRA side is the opposite of that…”

“There’s nothing I can do as a driver to make it go faster, but there’s about 20 ways every run that I can screw it up and slow it down or cause something catastrophic with the engine,” he added.

Stewart’s stint as a drag racing driver

Stewart has shifted gears into the drag racing world following his wife Leah Pruett’s decision to pause her NHRA career as the couple prepares for parenthood.

Leah, who is just weeks away from giving birth, has handed the NHRA reins over to her husband, who will compete in this weekend’s season-ending National Hot Rod Association event in Pomona.

Currently, Stewart is ranked P10, with a season that saw him exiting in the first round in 10 of the 19 races so far. Despite the challenges, he soared to a runner-up finish at Sonoma, marking his best result to date.

For now, he’s in the running for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award, an accolade he’s eager to capture, acknowledging the high caliber of his competitors and expressing enjoyment in his role to elevate the sport’s profile.

As the season wraps up in Pomona, Stewart is on a mission to claim his first Top Fuel victory, aiming to leave a mark in his inaugural drag racing year.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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