Tony Stewart entered Sunday’s Top Fuel event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, to represent his wife, Leah Pruett. While unexpected was expected in round two of the NHRA’s playoff series, Stewart’s first NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’ round quickly turned into chaos. Stewart went head-to-head against defending champion Doug Kalitta, who secured the win with 335 mph in 3.787 seconds. This narrowly outpaced Stewart’s 3.809 at 326.71 mph on the 1000-foot track. But just beyond the finish line, Kalitta’s Mac Tools Dragster’s left front tire broke apart.

His dragster in the right lane veered left and into Stewart’s lane. The trailing Dodge Direct Connection Dragster briefly tipped onto its side before landing on its wheels and colliding with the concrete barrier on the left. Kalitta’s dragster skidded for some time until coming to a stop in the center as he quickly got out of his car. Fortunately, Stewart, who was unconscious for some time, also got out of the car on his own power. The two drivers received a medical evaluation by NHRA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Phil Surface before they were allowed to leave.

In the aftermath, Stewart admitted he had no recollection of the crash itself. “So, I mean, looking at Doug’s car and my car, I’m glad PBRC [Precision Built Race Cars, of Brownsburg, Indiana] builds our cars… We got safe race cars, obviously, but I’m as curious as everybody else as to what happened. I just know we’re not where we’re supposed to be at the end of a run here. So… just confused.

“I’ve got one hell of a headache, and it banged my left hand up. But yeah, I mean, I’ve been through sprint-car crashes way worse than this, I’m pretty sure. So we’re good. We’re fine, I promise. We’re fine.” Indeed, everything happened suddenly and was quite horrifying. See for yourself:

Kalitta, too, commented on the crash, saying, “Was down or blew or whatever. So yeah, it was just unfortunate, really. It just happened so quick that there was nothing I could really do. So just glad we’re going to [the semifinals]. We’ll drag our other car out and see if we can keep this thing going here, but fortunately, Tony and I are good. So that’s really the main thing… That’s probably the worst [wreck] that I’ve had, but yeah, it’s been very fortunate over the years. It’s all part of it.”

With Stewart’s health momentarily shaken and Leah Pruett already slated to reclaim the dragster in 2026, will Stewart consider climbing out of the car for good?

Could Stewart leave, as Leah is set to join in 2026?

After stepping away from NHRA Top Fuel in 2024 to start a family, Leah Pruett is officially returning to full-time competition with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) in 2026. She won 12 Top Fuel events prior to her hiatus and finished third in the 2023 Top Fuel standings. During her break, she remained involved with the team and tested the car earlier this year in Richmond. Her return coincides with Dodge/ Mopar backing her comeback. Crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala are to remain on board with a two-car team structure alongside Funny Car veteran Matt Hagan.

Meanwhile, Tony Stewart, who has been driving Leah’s Top Fuel dragster, has had a breakthrough 2025 season with two wins (Four-Wide Nationals and Route 66 Nationals) and the 2025 NHRA Regular Season Championship. This led TSR into the Countdown to the Championship. But even before the crash, Stewart confirmed that driving Leah’s car was a temporary role. However, currently his status for 2026 remains not fully finalized. Though the decision to return the seat to Leah appears settled, Stewart has indicated he is exploring various opportunities. But no solid ride has been confirmed yet.

For now, Tony Stewart remains a contender in the 2025 Countdown. That is, once we know about his recovery. Meanwhile, Leah prepares to re-enter the high-stakes Top Fuel field in 2026. This would be a comeback many believe is not just about wins, but about reclaiming her place behind the wheel.