"We’ll keep fighting for it": Tony Stewart shares undaunted update after fuel leak setback at NHRA playoffs

Tony Stewart is steadfast after another incident in his TSR Dodge Top Fuel dragster. The regular-season Top Fuel champion suffered a fuel leak during qualifying at zMax Dragway. Last week, he was also hit with a violent crash during the NHRA Countdown opener at Maple Grove Raceway.

During Friday's qualifying session (September 19) for the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals, Stewart's cylinder failed after a fuel leak, which also caught fire, before the Q1 run. His team tried to find the issue but had to rebuild part of the car as they couldn't trace the problem.

Stewart shared an update on social media after the back-to-back incidents and wrote:

"We rolled up for Q1, did the burnout, and identified an erratic cylinder on the backup. My crew chief, Neal, made the right call to shut the car down and skip the run rather than yard-sale a #HEMI. Back in the pit, the hunt for the culprit was on, but no dice." "We couldn't identify what caused cylinder #2 to turn into a fire-breathing dragon at idle RPM. That forced us to build from the block up and get things turned around for the hero session," he added.

Stewart qualified well but earned only the ninth spot in Top Fuel qualifying. His qualifying run reached 3.760 seconds at 329.67 mph. Meanwhile, Brittany Force grabbed the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot in Top Fuel with a run of 3.698 seconds at 338.85 mph.

"The Countdown has shown us no mercy thus far, but we’ll keep fighting for it. 😎 ," Tony Stewart wrote on X.

Stewart qualified in 14th place last September at the Carolina Nationals but was knocked out right away in Round One.

Tony Stewart left second in points standings after crash at Maple Grove

Last week, Tony Stewart faced veteran Doug Kalitta in the second round of eliminations at Maple Grove. When Kalitta's dragster lost its front left wheel at 335.73 mph and crossed into Stewart's lane, his dragster flipped onto its side and hit the wall. The crash left Stewart unconscious for a few seconds but both drivers walked away with minor injuries.

And the former NASCAR Cup champion headed to fight for the Top Fuel championship in second place, only 19 points behind leader Doug Kalitta. Stewart has two Top Fuel wins this season, the first came at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas in April.

Tony Stewart also revealed his plans for next year. Leah Pruett was announced to return to racing and take over the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) seat in 2026 and he will also compete in NHRA Top Fuel. He will drive Elite Motorsports' dragster, which bought Josh Hart Racing's Top Fuel program.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl