The three-time NASCAR Cup champion adds a regional crown in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series to his impressive list of racing accomplishments.
Tony Stewart is now an NHRA drag racing champion.
Fifty-three year old Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup champion who has also won three races and the 1997 Indy Racing League championship in IndyCar and who currently races in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, won the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series North Central Division crown on Saturday at St. Louis.
There was no backing into the championship, either, as the 53-year-old Stewart rocketed his McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol dragster past Gary Pritchett with an ET of 5.216 seconds at 274.16 mph. Pritchett, who led Stewart by 21 points in the championship, ran 13.242 seconds, 73.96 mph.
Stewart won the eliminations from the No. 2 qualifying position.
This is Stewart's first divisional championship in the Top Alcohol class in his second year of competition. This year, he won three of the five events he entered and finished runner-up in another.
"It was a pretty cool deal today. This is redemption from last year at this same event. When we were here a year ago, all we had to do was get through the first round and we would have clinched the division championship.
Obviously, we were also racing for the world championship points as well. But, we had a problem. The car shook and the competitor we ran against had their best run of the season against us. It was a bitter pill to swallow. We were having to come from behind today. Even with two wins and a runner-up coming into today, if he (Gary Pritchett) made it to the finals, we had to beat him to win this thing.
Out of five races this season, we ran Gary in four of them and we were in the finals together in all four. To win three against him is awesome. He’s a tough competitor and Randy Meyer’s team always does a great job.
I’m really proud of my McPhillips Racing team. These guys did an awesome job. It’s a nice redemption weekend for us. We struggled here last weekend in the Top Fuel car. To be able to come here and win the race and have low ET of the event in the finals and win the division championship is just really cool. For everything we’ve done in motorsports, to be able to add this to our resume' is really special."
Stewart will be back in action Oct. 9-13 weekend at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. With just three events remaining on the 2023 national schedule Stewart sits ninth in the Top Fuel dragster standings.
Got the win at @WWTRaceway and @NHRA North Central Division champ. Today was special. #NHRA | @TonyStewart | @mobil1racing | @Mahindra_USA pic.twitter.com/cbKQ32wTop
— Tony Stewart Racing Nitro (@TSRnitro) October 6, 2024
