WATCH: Tony Stewart's dragster catches fire in dramatic St. Louis incident

NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart's recent visit to the World Wide Technolgy Raceway had a fireball moment when his Top Fuel dragster caught fire during the qualifying round one of NHRA Midwest Nationals. Stewart is competing in the third round of the Countdown of the Championship.

In his rookie season in the NHRA series, the former Cup Series champion has found himself in an important position as he battles for a top spot in his fourth professional motorsports discipline. Stewart has made his mark in series such as NASCAR, IndyCar, USAC, and now NHRA as he advances for his first postseason, competing for his team, Tony Stewart Racing.

In his qualifying attempt for his team in the Top Fuel category, the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Stewart's dragster caught fire in round one qualifying round against Tony Schumacher. Here's a look at his attempt which resulted in an ET of 3.779 and a mph of 320.13:

On his visit to St. Louis, Stewart shared his experience of racing in a completely different discipline of motorsports. He said (via STLracing.com):

"I really believe no matter what form of sports they follow, there’s just not an experience like what you get at a NHRA race to see cars with over 11,000 horsepower that run 300 miles per hour. It’s not something you’re going to see in on the oval track or a hockey game or other sports. It’s just not the same experience."

"Having the opportunity once a year to go to St. Louis and for people to sneak out to the edge of town and see something that they’ve never seen before is a great opportunity," he added.

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Tony Stewart stepped in for Leah Pruett in the Top Fuel dragster

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart has continued his presence on the racing tracks even after retiring from stock-car racing in 2016. He currently has replaced his wife, Leah Pruett, an NHRA Top fuel drag racer in NHRA, as a full-timer since the start of the 2024 season.

Pruett, who married Stewart in 2021, decided to focus on starting a family.

Stewart also appreciated and honored his wife for taking such a step. In a statement, he said (via SI):

"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."

"We had discussed starting a family and this was her decision. In those discussions, we came to the conclusion that the timing was up to her. I was very supportive as to whether she wanted to do it now or years from now. I’m very humbled that Leah and Neal felt I was the driver to fill in for her. I feel honored that I can do that for my wife and this team," he added.

Three-time Cup Series champion Stewart has had an impressive rookie season as a drag racer. He is placed P8 in the Top Fuel standings and is 174 points behind the table leader.