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Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart's wife, shared her experience of advocating for a new policy for pregnant drivers at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Pruett, who is expecting her first child in November, fought for the protection of points as female drivers go through their pregnancy.
Pruett is a 36-year-old NHRA Top Fuel racer who drives for the racing team owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, whom she married in 2021.
In an interview with NHRA, Leah Pruett opened up about needing some time to look after her health while competing in the sport.
“I think the true realization for this was when I found the challenges in becoming pregnant weren’t as easy as, ‘Let’s try and get pregnant.’ There were a lot of unknowns that you cannot schedule. My body needed time, and whether it was two months or six months or a couple of years, I couldn’t plan my life or my racing career because I didn’t know what my body was going to do,” Pruett said.
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The new policy allows the points accumulated by female drivers to be transferred to their replacement drivers. Had the driver won the season, the championship title would be awarded to the one who scored more points.
Leah Pruett pushed for the new policy along with fellow female drivers like Erica Enders and Angie Smith. They argued that pregnant drivers should be able to step out of their cars and have the same opportunity as someone who may be dealing with medical conditions like COVID-19 or injuries.
The NHRA champ concluded the interview with the hope that the new policy will have a positive impact on women in the sport, saying:
“I really hope that this policy not only changes what happens on the track in regard to females but changes the conversation in the boardroom to better prepare for stronger relationships. I really want to acknowledge Glen Cromwell and Josh Peterson for their help to navigate it through, and a tip of a hat to Richard Freeman for encouraging me to pursue this.”
I look forward to this new policy making a positive impact on the women in motorsports as a whole, short term and long term,” Leah Pruett added.
This announcement follows an interview with SpeedFreaks where Pruett addressed the lack of pregnancy policy at NHRA.
Tony Stewart steps in for Leah Pruett for the 2024 season
With Leah Pruett focusing on family planning, Tony Stewart stepped in for his wife. Stewart expressed how proud he was of his wife and felt honored to take her seat.
In a statement released last year, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion said:
“I am very proud of my wife. To make a decision like this has got to be extremely hard. I don’t think from a male’s perspective that we can fully grasp it. To be a competitive, professional race car driver and have to make the decision to take yourself out of the seat to start a family is not a position most males would want to be put in.”
Tony Stewart entered the sport as a Top Fuel rookie, driving the 11,000-horsepower TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster. His first win came just a month into the season.
As of this writing, the 53-year-old driver sits seventh in the standings. He earned enough points to secure a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
