Tony Stewart has been behind the wheel of almost everything – from open-wheel cars to stock cars, from dirt ovals to Daytona. But even with championships and a NASCAR Hall of Fame plaque to his name, Stewart still chases the rush of learning something new. That pursuit led him to a Pro Stock car for the very first time this month, and in a recent appearance on The Bubba the Love Sponge® Show, the three-time Cup champion shared exactly what that experience was like, where it might lead, and why drag racing continues to pull him deeper into its orbit.

Stewart’s Pro Stock opportunity came courtesy of Richard Freeman and the Elite Motorsports team, the NHRA powerhouse that fields six-time champion Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, and a deep roster of contenders. For a driver whose recent competitive life has been spent in 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters, climbing into a naturally aspirated, clutch-shifted Pro Stock machine was an entirely different challenge.

“It’s way more to do,” Stewart said, describing the procedure on Bubba’s show. “In a Top Fuel car, once you’ve staged, you’re holding the brake with your hand, stabbing the gas when the light changes, and letting go of the brake. That’s it – the run is over in 3.6 seconds. With a Pro Stock car, you’re staging with your foot on the clutch, your other foot on the gas, and you’ve got the line lock set. When the light changes, you dump the clutch, release the line lock, and start banging gears. Four shifts, and you’ve got to hit them perfectly to keep the motor in its power band. Miss one, and the run’s junk.”

Stewart tested at Tulsa Raceway Park over two days, making multiple runs as he worked through the unique rhythm of the class. The car’s lower speed compared to Top Fuel – “slower” being relative when it still covers the quarter-mile in the mid-six-second range – gave him more time to think, but also more to manage. “You’ve got to be busy in there,” he said. “It’s a driver’s car. You’re part of the performance equation every step down the track.”

While some might see a switch from Top Fuel to Pro Stock as a step back in spectacle, Stewart doesn’t view it that way. “They’re not the same kind of animal,” he said. “Top Fuel is pure acceleration – it’s violence, it’s G-forces, it’s holding on for dear life. Pro Stock is about precision and consistency. It’s the road-racing equivalent in drag racing. You have to execute perfectly every time.”

The test was serious enough that Freeman extended Stewart an offer to join the Elite Pro Stock lineup in 2025. But that decision won’t happen in a vacuum. Stewart’s wife, Leah Pruett, took a step back from driving leading up to and following the birth of their child. If she chooses to return to the seat next season, Stewart’s driving role in the family’s TSR Nitro operation could change. “I own this team,” Stewart said with a laugh, “but I could still get fired as a driver. If Leah wants her car back, she’s getting it back.”

The possibility of running Pro Stock – especially with a team like Elite – clearly intrigues him. He’s quick to point out that the depth of competition is among the toughest anywhere in the NHRA. “You’re talking about racing Erica Enders, who’s a six-time champ and wins everywhere. Aaron Stanfield, Dallas Glenn, Greg Anderson – every qualifying session is a fistfight. You’ve got to be on it from Q1 if you want a shot at race day.”

Stewart also admitted that part of the Pro Stock appeal is how much it would immerse him even deeper into the sport’s culture. Since making his NHRA debut in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks and then stepping up to Top Fuel, Stewart has embraced the accessibility and hands-on nature of drag racing. Pro Stock would give him another layer of involvement. “The downtime between runs, the time with the crew, the fans in the pits – that’s one of the coolest things about drag racing,” he said. “Pro Stock’s no different in that way. You’ve still got the fans leaning over the ropes, watching the clutch guys work, seeing the car get turned around. It’s part of the show.”

That culture is part of what has kept Stewart hooked. On Bubba’s show, he spoke at length about the sheer physicality of drag racing – the tire-shredding launches, the engine explosions, and the need to adapt to situations you can’t simulate. He recounted how Top Fuel taught him lessons about violence and reaction time that no other form of racing had. “In a Top Fuel car, you have to make a split-second decision, then make another split-second decision off that one, and another after that,” he explained. “You’re reacting in hundredths of a second. Pro Stock slows that down, but it makes the precision even more important.”

For now, Stewart is content to keep the Pro Stock door propped open. The test gave him a feel for what’s possible, and the offer from Freeman ensures the option is real. Whether he takes it will depend on how his family’s racing plans evolve over the next several months. But the seed has been planted, and it’s clear Stewart relished the experience.

“I’m not done learning,” he said. “That’s the fun part. I’ve been racing for decades, but I still like getting in something new, figuring it out, and going head-to-head with the best in the world at it. That’s what Pro Stock would be.”

Coming from a driver who’s conquered nearly everything he’s tried, those words carry weight. And if Stewart does line up against the Pro Stock elite in 2025, it won’t be for the sake of dabbling. It will be because he’s found another mountain worth climbing – and another field of racers who can push him to his limits, one gear change at a time.