Tony Stewart, who is currently sixth in the current Top Fuel standings, is gearing up for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Stewart arrives in Charlotte trailing the points leader Justin Ashley by 145 points but carries momentum from a successful outing at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. Having secured the runner-up spot in last year’s Top Alcohol Dragster category at zMAX Dragway, Stewart is now eyeing his first Top Fuel victory at this year’s 4-Wide Nationals.
This event will also feature Stewart in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge as a part of the qualifying rounds. Following his advancement to round two in Las Vegas, Stewart has earned a competitive rematch against Justin Ashley and Clay Millican, along with a potential match against Antron Brown if Terry Totten does not enter. With bonus points and a bonus purse on the line, the stakes are high.
Reflecting on his recent performance and the upcoming event, Stewart shared, “It definitely gives me a bunch of confidence. Vegas is probably my favorite track on the schedule, but Charlotte is a close second. The whole team has gained confidence after how we ran in Vegas, and we’re looking to build off that momentum here in Charlotte.”
Adding a personal touch to the weekend, Stewart’s race at Charlotte will be a family affair with members of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) attending. SHR’s headquarters, located just nine miles north of zMAX Dragway, will have a significant presence, cheering on Stewart as he takes on this new challenge in his motorsport career.
“We have a bunch of friends and all of our family from our SHR family that will be at the track, so we’re excited to have them there,” said Stewart. “I’m excited to let them see my new journey in motorsports. I’m proud of what our NASCAR team has been doing this year. We’re definitely making progress. Hopefully just getting out to the track, away from the NASCAR side for a day, can help them hit the reset button. We want to keep the morale building at the organization like it’s been the last couple months, so we’re gaining on it. We just need to keep plugging away on both sides, but hopefully we’re in a close race for all of our our SHR folks. I’m excited to see them at the track and excited that they’re going to get a chance to see us run a car at 300 miles per hour now.”
This story was originally published on April 23, 2024. 
