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.
The post Tony Stewart’s Take on Pro Mods: ‘Driving a Fuel Car Is Easier’ first appeared on Drag Illustrated.