"I don’t do things halfway, I go all in": When Tony Stewart formed an NHRA team

After dominating the NASCAR Cup Series, the former stock car racing champion Tony Stewart expanded his business venture into the NHRA Series. Stewart expanded his team, Tony Stewart Racing, to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series at the beginning of the 2022 season.

The 53-year-old professional race car driver developed an interest in drag racing when he met his wife, Leah Pruett, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to their marriage, Pruett competed in the series and won 12 NHRA events. With the pandemic shutting down major leagues, Stewart attended his then-girlfriend's racing events and discovered his passion for drag racing.

Tony Stewart Racing fielded two full-time entries in the discipline: one in the Top Fuel dragster category and another in the Funny Car division. Leah Pruett drove the Mopar Dodge SET dragster in the Top Fuel ranks while Matt Hagan competed in the Funny Car championship.

“When I retired from full-time driving, I said it wasn’t the end, but the beginning of a new chapter. This is proof of that. I appreciate all forms of racing, and I’ve always been intrigued by drag racing, particularly the NHRA,” stated Tony Stewart (via Racer.com).

“I want to be an integral part of it. And I don’t do things halfway; I go all in. But I’m smart enough to know that I don’t need to be a rookie owner and a rookie driver, so I made sure to get two of the best NHRA drivers in Leah and Matt. I’m going to lean on their experience so we can hit the ground running in 2022," he added.

Leah Pruett took a temporary break from the NHRA Series, and on December 7, 2023, she announced that her husband, Tony Stewart, would replace her.

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Tony Stewart once clarified the significant differences between drag racing and stock car racing

In 2024, former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Tony Stewart was featured on Kevin Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast, discussing the major differences between both series.

The NHRA series driver noted that the two series are completely different, stating that stock car races generally last three to four hours, whereas National Hot Rod Association races conclude in three to four seconds.

“It’s not like what you and I were used to, where we’ve got a three-and-a-half-hour race," Stewart said. "We’ve got six or eight pit stops throughout the day, and we have three, four, five hundred laps to get the job done. If we make a mistake, we’ll fix it," Stewart said.

The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion concluded that NHRA Series dragsters produce around 11,000 horsepower and run in a straight line, while NASCAR cars only produce 650 horsepower and are designed for oval tracks.