Leah Christine Pruett[N 1] (formerly Leah Pritchett, formerly Leah LeDuc born May 26, 1988) is an American semi-retired drag racer, who last drove an NHRA Top Fuel dragster for Tony Stewart Racing.[1][4]
Leah Pruett | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Pruett in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Leah Christine Pruett May 26, 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Racing career
editPruett debuted in Top Fuel in 2013 with Dote Racing after previously competing in Pro Mod and Nostalgia Funny Car.[5] Her first career national event win on the professional level came February 28, 2016 at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Chandler, Arizona, defeating Brittany Force in the first all-female final round in Top Fuel since 1982.[6] She finished seventh in points in 2016 with one win, fifth in 2017 with four wins, and fourth in 2018 (two wins), 2019 (one win) and 2020 (no wins). In 2021, she claimed one win.
Awards
editOn October 14, 2021, Pruett was announced as the Top Fuel driver for Tony Stewart Racing in 2022.[7]
Retirement
editShe will step aside from racing in 2024, replaced by her husband, Tony Stewart, while they plan to start a family.
Personal life
editPruett was first married to Todd LeDuc, off-road racer and Monster Jam truck driver. She met Gary Pritchett, a crew member for NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Steve Torrence, in 2011; they married in 2013.[8][6][5] Pruett filed for divorce from Pritchett on July 31, 2019, in Hendricks County, Indiana.[9] She was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct in Hendricks County, Indiana, on October 21, 2012; the terms of a pre-trial conversion agreement were met on February 7, 2014.[10] She and former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart announced their engagement through simultaneous Instagram posts on each of their accounts on March 18, 2021.[11] They married on November 21, 2021 in Los Cabos, Mexico.[12]
She is not related to former stock car racing, open-wheel racing and sports car racing driver Scott Pruett.
Career results
editHighlights
edit- Claimed the NHRA SAMTech Factory Stock Showdown championship in 2019, DSR's first series championship in their first year in the class. Pruett is also the only female champion in the short history of the class.
- Pruett also won the 2010 Nostalgia Funny Car title in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series
- Has earned 14 total event wins (11 in Top Fuel, 3 in Pro Modified)
- Has a career best E.T. of 3.631 seconds, and a best speed of 334.15 miles per hour[13]
Season results
edit- Top Fuel
- 2013: 15th (no wins)
- 2014: 14th (no wins)
- 2015: 14th (no wins)
- 2016: 7th (1 win at Chandler).
- 2017: 5th (4 wins at the Winternationals, Chandler, Houston and Brainerd).
- 2018: 4th (2 wins at Atlanta and Denver).
- 2019: 4th (1 win at Brainerd).
- 2020: 4th (no wins)
- 2021: 7th (1 win at the Winternationals)
- 2022: 11th (1 win at Denver).
- 2023: 3rd (2 wins at Norwalk and Texas).
References
edit- ^ Although she married Tony Stewart in 2021, she continues to use Pruett professionally.
- ^ a b "National Hot Rod Association - Leah Pritchett". National Hot Rod Association. 14 December 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ "NHRA SATURDAY QUALIFYING RESULTS, SUNDAY ELIMINATION PAIRINGS FOR THE AUTO CLUB FINALS AT POMONA". Autoweek. November 10, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (March 16, 2018). "NHRA: Leah Pritchett Goes for 3 Different Wins in This Weekend's Gatornationals". NBC Sports. NBCUniversal. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ "Tony Stewart Racing to join NHRA in 2022 with two full-time entries". National Hot Rod Association. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Leah Pritchett, Biography". Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Wade, Susan (February 28, 2016). "Leah Pritchett Wins All-Female NHRA Top Fuel Final in Phoenix". Autoweek. Crain Communications. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ "Tony Stewart Racing to join NHRA in 2022 with two full-time entries". National Hot Rod Association. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Gary and Leah Pritchett: Husband and wife – and top rivals in NHRA Top Fuel racing". 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase".
- ^ "Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase".
- ^ "Tony Stewart Engaged To Pro Drag Racer Leah Pruett, Massive Diamond Ring!". TMZ. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (November 21, 2021). "NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and NHRA Winner Leah Pruett Officially Married". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Obrey (8 October 2020). "Speed? Redlands' Leah Pruett battling for NHRA title". Highlandnews.net. Retrieved 7 April 2021.