Leah Pruett

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This article is about the drag racer. For the soccer player, see Leah Pruitt.
Leah Pruett
NationalityAmerican
BornLeah Christine Pruett
(1988-05-26) May 26, 1988 (age 33)
Redlands, California
NHRA Mello Yello Series career
Current teamTony Stewart Racing
Years active2013-present
Car number777 (2019)
Crew chiefTodd Okuhara[1]
Former teamsDon Schumacher Racing
Bob Vandergriff Racing
Dote Racing
Championships1 (Factory Stock Showdown)
Wins12 (9 Top Fuel, 3 Pro Mods)
Fastest laps
Last updated on: August 18, 2019.

Leah Christine Pruett[N 1] (formerly Leah Pritchett, born May 26, 1988) is an American drag racer, currently driving an NHRA Top Fuel dragster for Don Schumacher Racing after previously being employed at Bob Vandergriff Racing before the company closed in April 2016.[1][4][5][6]

Racing career[]

Pruett debuted in Top Fuel in 2013 with Dote Racing after previously competing in Pro Mod and Nostalgia Funny Car.[6] 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.[7] 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.

On October 14, 2021, Pruett was announced as the Top Fuel driver for Tony Stewart Racing in 2022.[8]

Personal life[]

Pruett was married to Gary Pritchett, who is a crew member for NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Steve Torrence.[7][6] Leah filed for divorce from Gary on July 31, 2019, in Hendricks County, Indiana.[9] She and former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart announced their engagement through simultaneous Instagram posts on each of their accounts on March 18, 2021.[10] They married on November 21, 2021 in Los Cabos, Mexico.[11]

She is not related to former stock car racing, open-wheel racing and sports car racing driver Scott Pruett.

Career highlights[]

  • 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 12 total event wins (9 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[12]

References[]

  1. ^ Although she recently married Tony Stewart, she has not announced if she will continue to use her maiden name or if she will change her last name to Stewart as a result of her marriage.
  1. ^ a b "National Hot Rod Association - Leah Pritchett". National Hot Rod Association. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "NHRA SATURDAY QUALIFYING RESULTS, SUNDAY ELIMINATION PAIRINGS FOR THE AUTO CLUB FINALS AT POMONA". Autoweek. Autoweek. November 10, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Bob Vandergriff Announces Immediate Retirement from Drag Racing". National Hot Rod Association. April 11, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "Don Schumacher Racing, Drivers - Leah Pritchett". Don Schumacher Racing. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Leah Pritchett, Biography". Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Tony Stewart Racing to join NHRA in 2022 with two full-time entries". National Hot Rod Association. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase".
  10. ^ "Tony Stewart Engaged To Pro Drag Racer Leah Pruett, Massive Diamond Ring!". TMZ. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  11. ^ Srigley, Joseph (November 21, 2021). "NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and NHRA Winner Leah Pruett Officially Married". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  12. ^ Brown, Obrey (8 October 2020). "Speed? Redlands' Leah Pruett battling for NHRA title". Highlandnews.net. Retrieved 7 April 2021.

External links[]

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