Who is Tony Stewart’s ex-fiancée Pennelope Jimenez? All you need to know about the former Playboy Model

Tony Stewart is married to NHRA Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett, and the couple is expecting their first child soon. But there was a time when Tony Stewart was engaged to Pennelope Jimenez, a former Playboy centrefold. In this article, let’s get to know more about the California-based model.

Stewart, a multi-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the biggest names in the sport, popped the big question to Jimenez in November 2017, on Thanksgiving Day. She said yes and soon after, Stewart dropped an update about the same on X (then known as Twitter).

However, they parted ways over a year and a half after getting engaged. The last time Jimenez was seen in any post on Tony Stewart’s social media was on October 8th, 2018, when the couple posed in front of Dan Tana’s, an Italian restaurant in Hollywood.

Although Jimenez is from San Diego, her family hails from Ensenada, Mexico. She attended junior and high school in Corona and, later on, started living in Huntington Beach. In 2000, she started auditioning for acting and modelling opportunities.

One of her first jobs was appearing in the XFL "Cheerleader" commercials, which ultimately landed her a role in an episode of the CBS soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful. Two years later, Jimenez bagged a small role as a Harem Girl in the movie The Scorpion King, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

That year Jimenez also earned a role on the television game show The Price is Right, Season 31. She returned for 17 more episodes the following season whilst auditioning for the Playboy magazine. It was arguably the turning point in her modelling career.

In 2003, Jimenez was named Playmate of the Month for March 2003 and Miss September in the 2005 edition of the “Playmates at Play at the Playboy Mansion” swimsuit calendar. As of today, she continues working as a model and actor and resides in Los Angeles, California.

Tony Stewart makes a unique replacement for wife Leah Pruett at team dinner

Recently, Tony Stewart was seen attending a dinner with his mates at Tony Stewart Racing, an NHRA team that fields two full-time entries, one in Top Fuel driven by Stewart himself and another in Funny Car driven by four-time World Champion, Matt Hagan. However, Stewart’s wife, Leah, could not make it.

Stewart, a soon-to-be father, was not going to leave his wife out of the picture at any cost. With a bottle of coke held in one hand and a cut-out picture of his wife in another, Stewart posed in front of the camera.

Tony Stewart Racing Nitro posted the photo on their official X page with the caption:

“Even when @LeahPruett_TF isn’t at the team dinner, she’s still here.”

Tony Stewart made his debut in drag racing this year after Pruett stepped back from racing due to her duties involving childbirth. Stewart’s stint behind the wheel of his wife’s dragster found its biggest highlight at the 2024 NHRA Denso Sonoma Nationals, where the NASCAR Hall of Famer finished second behind Anton Brown, driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster for AB Motorsports.