POMONA, Calif. — Tony Stewart is still chasing his first NHRA Top Fuel victory after losing to Clay Milican in the final round of Sunday’s 65th Winternationals at historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, was seeking to become the first auto racer to win races in four different professional motorsports disciplines (with previous victories in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC) when he advanced to the final round against Millican. Unfortunately, Stewart’s TSR Rinnai Dodge//SRT dragster smoked the tires at the 200-foot mark and Millican drove to victory.
Sunday’s path to the final round was not an easy one for Stewart, who took down three NHRA Top Fuel champions (Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon) en route to the finals.
It was Stewart’s third Top Fuel final round performance since he took over the driving chores in 2024 from his wife, Leah Pruett, who removed herself from the Top Fuel car to start a family with Stewart. Their son, Dominic James, was born on Nov. 17, 2024, the same weekend as the NHRA World Finals.
“The day I get upset with losing is the day I retire from racing,” said Stewart. “But the team is upset because they want to win. These TSR crew guys have done an awesome job and have been very consistent. Especially this weekend, having three runs on Friday and four today, these guys busted their butts. There were no mistakes. We just want to take this car to victory lane very badly.
“My lights were better, and the car’s performance was better. We just didn’t get the last little bit. We took down three big guys in a row, all former Top Fuel champions (Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Shaun Langdon). To be the best, you have to beat the best. I’m very proud of the whole team and it just wasn’t our time yet. Everyone comes here to win, and one driver leaves as the winner, and we raced that guy in the final. We just got a little too aggressive in the final. We have good data heading to Las Vegas now, too.”
