NASCAR legend and current NHRA Top Fuel dragster driver Tony Stewart isn’t one to fish for compliments. Still, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently praised his NHRA achievements with genuine awe and admiration, the three-time NASCAR Cup champ couldn’t resist responding in classic Smoke style.
In an episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Junior opened up about a recent experience that gave him a whole new appreciation for Stewart’s NHRA drag racing career.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer took Cleetus McFarland’s “Dale Truck” for a spin at Talladega Superspeedway, his first experience of drag racing. After the wild ride, Dale Jr. described it as “insane” and “a jump scare.”
Tony Stewart Offers Dale Earnhardt Jr. a Classic Racer Challenge in the NHRA
Speaking on Harvick’s podcast about the experience, Junior said, “In like, two years, Tony Stewart has become competitive, successful, and he goes twice as fast as this. I didn’t appreciate it, what Tony had done, yeah, as much as I did after I drove that truck. I was like, ‘That was fast!’ I can’t imagine, I can’t imagine what your body goes through to go twice as fast in an eighth mile.”
Coming from the Pied Piper himself, it’s a compliment to treasure.
“I admire, I love Tony Stewart. He’s awesome,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “We all know that he kicks a**, but dang. I honestly feel like I really didn’t put his NHRA career anywhere near the other things that he’s done in racing. But now I gotta say that I put it near the top. What he had to go through and what he had to learn right, willing to put himself through that, holy moly.”
Reposting the podcast clip, Stewart appreciated Dale Jr.’s praise and thanked him. Stewart wrote on X, “Ready to hop in, @DaleJr? Thanks for the kind words my friend.”
Ready to hop in, @DaleJr?
Thanks for the kind words my friend. pic.twitter.com/IVrdfe97t4— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) June 18, 2025
Although Smoke’s reply was short, it fits his trademark style. It struck the perfect balance between his humble gratitude, laced with a very typical ‘Smoke’ challenge. His reply to Junior was also that of a veteran NASCAR race car driver welcoming another into the adrenaline-heavy world of drag racing after a few stints with the sport.
Stewart, who owns the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team, began competing in NHRA events in 2022 after retiring from full-time NASCAR racing. He now races in Top Fuel after he filled in for his wife, Leah Pruett, who decided to take a break from the sport to focus on maternity and motherhood. The couple welcomed their first child, Dominic James Stewart, late last year.
