At 53 years of age, Tony Stewart has become a dad. His son with Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett was born on Sunday in Phoenix just hours before the NHRA finals. The three-time Cup Series champion was beyond thrilled as he raced at the Pomona Dragstrip, in place of his wife, with the name tag “Dad” on his car.
So, what he is going to be called henceforth is decided. What of the kid? The new parents have named him Dominic James Stewart. Tony explained how they landed on this name in an exclusive interview after the birth.
He said, “The problem is when you are 53 years old and know as many people as I do...
It took out a lot of good names because of the people I knew or friends I had kids with those names. So, it made the process really hard.” “But I knew that was a name she [Pruett] had mentioned before and really liked .
.. I don’t care what we call him.
I am just proud to have him. Man, when I saw his face today. It was an emotion that I’ve never had before.
” Dominic James is no doubt a beautiful name. But the fans would have loved seeing an “Anthony Stewart Jr.” on the race track someday.
Tony had considered that as well. He hilariously said, responding to why he didn’t go for the name, “Absolutely not! There was no way in hell I would give a kid a strike right out the gate like that.” There aren’t a lot of happy emotions that he has missed out on being a successful professional in motorsports.
But he’d affirm that the feeling of being a father trumps.