NHRA team owner Tony Stewart Oct 16, 2022; Ennis, TX, USA; NHRA team owner Tony Stewart during the Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is returning to full-time competition this upcoming season, but now it will be in as an NHRA drag racer in a Top Alcohol Dragster.

The 52-year-old announced Tuesday that he will race for McPhillips Racing for the 2023 NHRA season and will be sponsored by Mobil 1.

Stewart has raced in NHRA before, making his debut last year at the Nevada Nationals. He made it to the finals and ended up fishing in second place when his 5.258-second, 271.57 mph run was just short of winning.

“We’ve been working on putting this package together with the McPhillips family to expand on what we did at Las Vegas last year and get back in the seat,” Stewart said. “I want to keep learning about the sport and have the opportunity to go compete more this year with a team I really enjoy.

“It’s nerve-wracking to try and do something different, but when you have a team like what the McPhillips Racing team has, it makes everything a lot easier.”

While he also owns a sprint car team and is co-owner of NASCAR’s Stewart-Haas Racing, he also started an NHRA team that includes a dragster in Top Fuel for his wife Leah Pruett, and a Funny Car for Matt Hagan.

Stewart’s first race of the season will be the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida next month.

[AP News]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.