“The clock stops when you see him”: Tony Stewart shares his heartwarming journey into fatherhood with son Dominic 

Former NASCAR driver and team owner Tony Stewart recently shared his thoughts on being a first-time dad to new-born Dominic James Stewart.

Stewart welcomed his son in November last year with Leah Pruett, who has been married to the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion since 2021. The 53-year-old opened up about how his life has changed since the birth of Dominic during a recent appearance on WESH-TV.

"This point in my life to wake up everyday and know that when I see Dominic. I know that every day there's gonna be a little change that was a little different than the day before and thats what I look forward to everyday, when I wake up..literally the clock stops. When you see him and he smiles, its like the clock stops and nothing else in the world is happening," said Stewart in an interview with WESH 2.

Tony Stewart now competes in the NHRA Top Fuel dragster after taking Pruett's place last year. He finished ninth overall with the NHRA Rookie of the Year award last season, driving for his team Tony Stewart Racing (TSR).

Meanwhile, Pruett, a 12-time NHRA Top Fuel race winner, finished third in the Top Fuel standings in 2023 before stepping back from racing.

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"Polar opposite" - Tony Stewart on NASCAR and NHRA

Tony Stewart during qualifying for the NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip - Source: Imagn

Tony Stewart also talked about the differences between three-hour-long NASCAR races and drag racing and how his preparation for the races differs. Top Fuel dragsters can reach speeds over 330 mph and complete the dragstrip in less than 3.7 seconds.

During an interview with Fox35orlando, Stewart compared his nearly two-decade-long NASCAR career to his new NHRA role.

"The split second decisions you make in a NASCAR car, sprint car or IndyCar, now you take that split second and make a split second decision off of that. That's how fast your body and your mind have to react to whatever that car does because it's so violent," Stewart said.

"Polar opposite. So when I used to get ready for a NASCAR race, I wanted to be calm, I wanted my heart rate down. When you get into the dragster you want to be polar opposite, you want your heart rate up, you want to be as alert as you can be because it's gonna happen really quick," he added.

Stewart debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 1995 and moved to the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) from 1999 to 2008. He joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009 as the owner-driver and retired after the 2016 season.

Stewart will return to NHRA this year in the Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster.