Overview
- After two Friday qualifying runs at the season opener, Leah Pruett is slotted third and Tony Stewart fifth in the 16-car Top Fuel field, with two more attempts scheduled Saturday before pairings are finalized.
- Stewart now drives for Elite Motorsports while Pruett returns to her Tony Stewart Racing seat after a two-year break that included the birth of their son in November 2024.
- Both drivers said on-track meetings will be treated professionally, with Stewart emphasizing that he views Pruett as simply the opponent in the other lane.
- Stewart vowed the competition will not affect their relationship, saying the couple will be married at season’s end regardless of results.
- The pair spent roughly 40 days in Florida testing at Bradenton and Gainesville ahead of Pruett’s return, as Stewart also made a brief NASCAR Truck Series start at Daytona that ended in a crash.