Tony Stewart reacts to Shawn Reed's high-speed NHRA wreck amid news of qualifying for the Northwest Nationals 

Tony Stewart shared his thoughts on social media after a terrifying crash involving NHRA Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Northwest Nationals. In the same post, Stewart also updated fans on his own performance.

Shawn Reed was involved in a serious crash during Saturday’s Top Fuel qualifying session. His Reed Trucking and Excavating dragster lost its right rear tire mid-run while reaching speeds of nearly 300 mph.

The failure disabled the rear wing, causing the car to spin and slam nose-first into the opposite wall in front of Doug Kalitta’s dragster. Kalitta had already shut off after smoking the tires, avoiding further collision.

Reed’s car burst into debris and slid across the track, with the remaining Goodyear tire shredded in the impact. According to his crew chief, Rob Wendland, the engine remained intact, but the crash damaged the roll cage.

Wendland stated Reed had a serious hand laceration, likely from the steering wheel, and was taken to a specialist for evaluation. Tony Stewart shared a post on his X account expressing concern and wishing luck to Reed speedy recovery,

“First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with @shawnreed_tf after his wild ride yesterday. Moments like that remind all of us how intense and unpredictable this sport can be — and just how much respect every driver out here deserves. We ended Saturday qualifying 5th with a solid run that sets us up strong for Race Day. Grateful for the hard work this @tsrnitro crew continues to put in — now it’s time to finish the job.”

Tony Stewart and his Dodge-backed Top Fuel team secured the No. 5 qualifying spot at the Northwest Nationals, clocking a 3.759-second pass at 327.51 mph during Q4. Earlier, in the third qualifying round, Stewart beat Clay Millican in Round 1 of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. However, he came up short in the Finals against Shawn Langdon, who posted a 3.718-second run at 338.17 mph.

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"You realize how quick it decells": Tony Stewart on the explosion during his run in Top Fuel qualifying

During a qualifying weekend in late June, Tony Stewart experienced an explosion while racing against Shawn Langdon. His 11,000-horsepower dragster blew up mid-run, catching fire and triggering an immediate response from safety marshals. Stewart managed to exit the vehicle on his own and did not suffer any injuries.

Stewart later spoke to the press about the explosion, discussing how quickly things happen behind the wheel. In a post-race interview shared by Taylor Kitchen on X, Stewart said,

"Well luckily being in canopy I don't feel a lot of anything is here, and you realize you know obviously it decells, real quick, you go from all those positive G's to know G's anymore, but if anybody needs their yard mode this week in the call I got a I got some bills to pay this week." Said Tony Stewart

After Leah Pruett took a temporary break from racing to focus on family, Tony Stewart stepped in and went on to win Rookie of the Year last season.

The 54-year-old currently has 4 career wins across Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), including 2 in each category, and has reached 79 final rounds in total. His career-best run stands at 3.679 seconds with a top speed of 334.73 mph.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua