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Tony Stewart earns first career NHRA Top Fuel win at 4-Wide Nationals

JHby:Jonathan Howard•04/13/25•

Jondean25

Tony Stewart NHRA Top Fuel
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Put him behind a wheel, and there isn’t anything he can’t do! Tony Stewart is the ultimate Iron Man of Motorsports. Smoke just earned his first career win in NHRA Top Fuel during 4-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas.

Let’s just run down a quick list of Tony Stewart’s accomplishments: Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, IndyCar champion, USAC Triple Crown, two-time Chili Bowl winner – go ahead and add NHRA Top Fuel winner.

Not only did Smoke win, but he did it at 4-Wide Nationals. Stewart took this car over from his wife, Leah Pruett, when they decided to start a family. Last year was his rookie season (he won Rookie of the Year), and now he’s winning.

Jerry Jordan of Kickin’ the Tires had the perfect reaction. Tony Stewart can do it all. On dirt, pavement, the drag strip – sprint cars, stock cars, open-wheel, and dragsters. There isn’t a more versatile driver when you consider his complete body of work.

Seriously, what can you say about Smoke that hasn’t already been said? He went up against Justin Ashely, Antron Brown, and Jasmine Salinas in the final. Brown is coming off his fourth Top Fuel championship in 2024. A big day for Stewart and his NHRA organization.

Stewart is someone who is never going to slow down. We have seen it for the last 30+ years. He just doesn’t quit. Even as a dad, he has that need for speed. In NHRA, he’s never gone faster before in his life.

Tony Stewart has gone fast his entire life

Top Fuel is a hotly contested category in the NHRA. Back in 2014, Stewart was the first driver to break 200 MPH on a 1.5-mile track in a NASCAR Cup car. In 1996, Stewart ran (at the time) the fastest lap ever at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 237.336 MPH, with a top speed of 244 MPH.

Today, Tony Stewart reached a top speed of 317.42 MPH. For a man who has experienced the highest speeds of some of the biggest motorsports in the world, the NHRA has taken that to another level.

This win will go a long way for Stewart. He is still fairly new to drag racing, and making the jump to Top Fuel was a massive one. In typical fashion, the all-time great has picked up on this kind of racing very quickly.

A big day for Tony Stewart. I’m sure his wife Leah was happy to see him finally win. After all, that is her car.