"Nobody knew we were doing anything" - When Tony Stewart discussed sorting sponsorship hurdles before going public with Leah Pruett

NASCAR team co-owner Tony Stewart shared how he and his wife, Leah Pruett, worked through sponsorship challenges before publicizing their relationship. Stewart met professional drag racer Leah Pruett in 2019 and made their relationship official the next year. The couple married just over three years ago in November and are now expecting their first child together next month.

Last year, during an episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media podcast, Stewart explained the sponsor issues the couple had to sort out once they realized they wanted to be together.

"We're like, 'Yeah, we're gonna do this. We're gonna date.' Then we had to sit there on the ride home and figure out, we've got problems, we've got hurdles we're gonna have to cross...I called my PR guy and said, 'Hey, this is what's going on,' because nobody knew we were doing anything together. Like, there were two or three people who knew who I was with and where I was at," Stewart said (05:52).

Stewart was partnered with Ford and Mobil 1 while Pruett had deals with Dodge and Pennzoil. They solved their sponsor issues by not wearing their logos at each other's events, and their sponsors agreed.

"Not one of our partners had a problem with it. They said, 'Yeah, we'll work around it.' We said, 'When I go to her events, I won't wear any branding, and when she goes to my events, she won't wear any branding.' That's what we've done, and it was very successful," he added (6:30).

Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett announced their engagement on Instagram on March 18, 2021.

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"We have time to go out to spend with the fans" - Tony Stewart on drag racing in NHRA

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is the only driver to win championships in both IndyCar and NASCAR. He drove for Joe Gibbs Racing from 1999 to 2008 and retired from full-time racing after the 2016 season.

Leah Pruett, a 12-time NHRA Top Fuel winner, stepped away from her driving job to start a family and Stewart replaced her in drag racing for the 2024 season.

"I’m at a new venture this year, driving my wife’s Top Fuel car. One of the aspects I really enjoy about it is when we’re not driving the car, when we’re not doing the warmup, when we’re not in the crew chief lounge going over the data, we have time to go out to spend with the fans. It’s been enjoyable this year," Stewart said (via Forbes).

Stewart announced in June that they are expecting their first child, a boy. He shared his excitement on social media.

Tony Stewart's NASCAR Cup Series team Stewart-Haas Racing will close its doors after this season, having won two championships and 69 Cup races.