Tony Stewart said he was fired from his own National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) team, Tony Stewart Racing, prior to the beginning of the 2026 season at the discretion of his wife, Leah.
After stepping away from NHRA competition to have the couple’s first child, Leah turned over her ride to her husband. Stewart captured two Top Fuel victories in 2025 and won the regular-season championship.
However, as Stewart revealed on the “Door Bumper Clear” podcast, it was not enough to stay with his own race team in 2026.
Stewart Recalls Getting Fired From His Own Team
In a story you would have to hear to believe, Stewart said he was let go from Tony Stewart Racing last year.
“I got fired last year is what happened. … I got fired from my own team last year,” Stewart said.
Stewart could sense something was coming around September 2025. From being at the racetrack around his wife, Stewart noticed Pruett’s attitude towards him shift.
“We were racing for a championship and I already could tell. I knew in September I was going to get fired because my wife’s demeanor at the racetrack started changing and not in a positive way. Not like, ‘Hey, go get ‘em honey, we’re behind you 100 percent,’ it started she’s hanging around more times around the car during warm-ups and stuff and watching and watching the routine,” he said.
From that point on, Stewart saw the writing on the wall and expected to get fired at the end of the season. As the season continued, the former three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion tried his best to salvage a solid season.
“I tried to make hay at the end of the year trying to win a championship. We won the regular-season championship but we couldn’t finish the rest of the season championship out,” Stewart said.
Ultimately, Stewart was fired from his own race team and Pruett got back behind the wheel at the beginning of the 2026 season. TSR proceeded to form an alliance with Elite Motorsports, owned by Richard Freeman.
Stewart said Freeman chose him to be the driver.
“I get fired at the end of the season and I said, ‘Well, I’m not gonna just sit there and hold the door open and be a plus-one in the pit. I’ll go find a ride. Richard Freeman was dumb enough to buy a team from Josh Hart and put me in it. We call it ‘Team Black Sheep’ over there. We got the [Tony Stewart Racing] teams and we’re the next team over,” Stewart said.
Stewart Said Wife Showed ‘No Remorse’ in Firing
As it stands, Stewart ranks third in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Standings, 12 points above Pruett, who sits in fourth position.
“Smoke” jokingly said that there is some added motivation to top his wife in the points standings at the end of the 2026 season.
“I really want to finish ahead of my wife this year for some reason,” Stewart said.
Stewart added that Pruett was not sympathetic about firing her husband. After a hiatus to give birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Dominic, Stewart said Pruett was ready to take back the reins at TSR.
“There was no remorse whatsoever. It’s like, ‘I’m going to take my car back next year,’” he said.
Stewart is set to return to the NASCAR scene next month at Talladega as he will field the No. 25 Ram for Kaulig Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2.66-mile track on Friday, October 23.
Tony Stewart Recalls Wife Firing Him From NHRA Team