Just days after a violent crash, Tony Stewart faces fuel leak and is forced to shut off from his Q1 run

Following Tony Stewart's crash at Maple Grove Raceway last week, he faced yet another setback. This time, the former NASCAR driver encountered a fuel leak in his Dodge-powered Top Fuel dragster, forcing the engine to shut off while staging.

His crash came during a run with championship rival Doug Kalitta, who lost control and crossed the center line, striking Stewart’s dragster in the left lane. With Top Fuel machines lacking side windows like NASCAR stock cars, Stewart had no way of seeing the impact coming. Both drivers were evaluated by medical staff and later released.

The NHRA is in North Carolina this week for the event at zMAX Dragway, where Friday’s session featured qualifying for the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes. During the run, Stewart’s dragster suffered a fuel leak that cut short his attempt, an issue his team later confirmed in a post on X.

“(Tony Stewart) was shut off before the Q1 run due to a fuel leak,” Tony Stewart Racing Nitro wrote.

This weekend’s race at zMAX Dragway is the first four-wide event ever held in the NHRA playoffs. Tony Stewart enters the round second in points, between Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon, and is still in the fight for the Top Fuel championship after winning Rookie of the Year last season.

Stewart originally filled in for his wife, Leah Pruett, while she stepped away for pregnancy. Now, the 54-year-old has turned into a real contender. If he wins the title, he would be the only driver ever to win championships in the top divisions of NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA.

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“Let's not do that anymore”: Tony Stewart's wife Leah on his crash at Maple Grove Raceway

Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart’s wife, reflected on his crash at Maple Grove Raceway last week. After the collision with Doug Kalitta, she admitted to being shaken when Stewart didn’t respond on the radio right away, saying moments like that are something they shouldn’t have to go through again.

In an interview with former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick on the Happy Hour podcast, Pruett stated:

“All of this massive smoke, and then the first thing I heard over the PA was, ‘Oh, and their parachutes are tangled and Doug gets into Tony.’ And then it's just pure silence. And I go to radio, ‘Check Tony,’ and silence... silence. Nothing there.” “So just, you know, trying to think of the best case scenario, definitely not the worst. Very scary, but it's part of what you subscribe for, I guess, like a small percentage of it. But yeah. Let's not do that anymore,” she added.

Tony Stewart with Leah Pruett during the 2025 Route 66 Nationals - Source: Imagn

In 2026, Stewart will continue racing in the NHRA Top Fuel class with Elite Motorsports, while Pruett makes her return to competition under his team banner. The couple will face each other on the drag strip as opponents. Pruett had stepped away for two seasons following the birth of their first child, Dominic James, in November 2024.

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Edited by Zarec Sanchez