Former NASCAR Champion Repeats Success With NHRA Top Fuel Victory

Former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart clinched his second NHRA Top Fuel victory during the Route 66 Nationals on Sunday.

This comes after the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion secured his first NHRA Top Fuel win in April 2025 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After starting from the No. 2 qualifying position for Sunday’s eliminations, Stewart had the edge over 15-time winner Justin Ashley in a head-to-head finish.

In a video posted by his team following the race, Stewart reacted to the win, stating:

“Winning never gets old. It just never gets old. When you win, you just wanna win more. So, it’s just awesome. Where we were last year and where we are now, it’s just yards of difference. Super proud of these guys.”

Speaking to the media ahead of the race weekend, Stewart explained, as reported by Autoweek:

“Honestly, you don’t think about the records. You just concentrate on the race you’re trying to win that weekend. I think once you accomplish milestones like that, then you think about it and reflect on it, but you’re not thinking about it in the process. You’re just going out and doing your job trying to win races each week.

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do in town with any of the other professional sports teams like the NHRA, and no disrespect to them. They’re all amazing.

“But going to a drag race and seeing two 11,000-plus-horsepower cars racing side-by-side is a feeling you can’t get in in a baseball stadium, hockey arena, basketball court, or football stadium.

“It just doesn’t happen there, so that’s what makes drag racing so unique. You can watch it on TV as much as you want, but until you go and really experience it firsthand, you don’t truly know what you’re missing.”