Motorsports legend Tony Stewart hasn’t shied away from many forms of motorsports, but he has thought twice about one class of drag racing: Pro Mod.
During a recent appearance on the Shake & Bake Show, Stewart was asked if he’d ever get behind the wheel of a Pro Mod. His response was honest, hilarious, and pure Tony.
“I’m gonna have to work up to that, bud,” Stewart said. “I feel like driving a fuel car is way easier than driving a Pro Mod.”
Despite his background in sprint cars, NASCAR Cup cars, and now Top Fuel, Stewart made it clear that Pro Mods have always had a certain reputation in his mind, largely thanks to what he saw when he first started attending NHRA events regularly.
“I didn’t start going to races on a regular basis till I started dating Leah [Pruett],” he said. “And every weekend, somebody was tipping over a Pro Mod. It was like going to a damn sprint car race.”
Stewart didn’t hold back when it came to explaining what makes the wild doorslammer class so intimidating.
“They may be slower, but man, I look at those bodies and I’m like, golly, they have no side force in them,” he said. “That thing gets sideways, and the doors are rolled under. I know what happens here — this is Daytona-Talladega all over again.”
While he’s not ruling it out, Stewart made it clear that it would take time before he’d consider suiting up in a Pro Mod.
“It’s gonna take some practice to get to that level,” he added.
For now, Stewart’s focused on his full-time Top Fuel campaign—and with momentum on his side, it doesn’t look like he’ll be switching classes anytime soon.
This story was originally published on June 18, 2025. 
