Women have been part of auto racing almost since the advent of this sport. While many have worked in the shadows, there have been great racers behind the wheel in nearly every type of motor racing. Nowhere in the sport have women been more welcome than in NHRA’s myriad of categories, starting with Jr. Dragsters, because that is where nearly every successful straight-line racer begins their journey.
The race car doesn’t know who’s behind the wheel, but the public does, and women in NHRA drag racing are the norm, rather than the exception. Erica Enders is the reigningmsix-time Pro Stock Mission Foods Drag Racing Series champion, Shirley Muldowney has three Top Fuel titles, Angelle Sampey has three Pro Stock Motorcycle championships and is currently racing in Top Alcohol, Brittany Force earned two dragster titles (and will likely have more by the time she hangs up her helmet and gloves). Leah Pruett finished third last year in Top Fuel and would have been among the top competitors in 2024 but for her choice to start a family with husband Tony Stewart, who has taken over her seat and is working his way towards a first Wally trophy in that class.
Because it has women driving in its top Mission Foods classes and even more competing at the Lucas Oil Sportsman level, the rules makers at NHRA have become the first sanctioning body to address a singular issue common to women: what happens if a racer gets pregnant yet wants and aims to continue competing? The National Hot Rod Association decided to address that issue and support the women who choose to compete in its races.
Pruett, who helped design new policies that address the special needs of women racers, expects to give birth in November. Giving up her seat to Tony Stewart wasn’t easy; she’s been racing since childhood and, while starting a family was something the duo intended to do, “It was a very uneasy time, when you have something you’ve done your whole life, which is to concern yourself with your team, your partners, your fans and everything surrounding racing. I had to make what I considered one of the hardest decisions of my entire life, and that was to not race in 2024.”
After finishing third last year and facing the dilemma of racing vs starting her family, Pruett teamed with fellow racers Erica Enders, Jasmine Salinas, Angie Smith, Julie Nataas and Ida Zetterstrom. This group worked to point NHRA’s rules makers in the proper direction. Understanding the different machinations women go through on a monthly basis and the fact that bodies go through changes, psyches go through changes with pregnancies, and the question of how and when a woman should continue and/or give up the seat became a project for Pruett, since she wasn’t in her racecar for the current season.
Pruett’s dilemma forced NHRA to look into the ramifications of having a pregnant racer compete in both professional and amateur straight-line racing. Early in the 2024 campaign, NHRA began to discuss this matter with its chief medical officer, Dr. Phil Surface, together with experts, including Dr. Peter Weiss and Dr. Carolyn Alexander. After all, this wasn’t something that had come up in conversation before Pruett and her team addressed the issue of pregnancy and fertility, and what it does to the female body and mind.
NHRA, having initiated this discussion, took it upon themselves to discuss the issue with many other physicians and interested parties around the county. “NHRA’s forward-thinking approach ensures that its women racers can compete safely without being disadvantaged,” by their special needs, Dr. Weiss stated. The sanctioning body “did the research and spent quality time on this policy,” Pruett added.
The replacement driver policy at NHRA allows for a substitute driver to earn points for the main racer in eight events per season. Initially, NHRA proposed that female racers would earn points for the season, even if their participation was limited to a single race. Pruett’s coalition wanted to have a more balanced approach where points from both the pregnant racer and their replacement driver would be compared, with the higher total being counted toward the season championship.
“The first draft was absolutely way more than generous,” Pruett recalled. “Myself and Erica and Angie tried to put ourselves in our competitors’ shoes and go, ‘what is this?’ We didn’t want anyone to think it’s not fair, that it’s not right, and how would we feel? So we said, ‘No, I think it should be who gathers the most points.’” Pruett used the example of having started the season, ending up pregnant in May and having Stewart take over the seat, get into the Countdown to the Championship, which is where he is right now. “He finished the season out for me, and he’s in the Countdown and went through the pressure and everything that it takes at the end, he should be the champion. If I gather the most points and somebody came in and finished the season for me, but I did the majority of the heavy lifting, well, then it would be in my name. We all agreed that’s where it should be,” Pruett emphasized.
The gist of the program agreed to by NHRA, its medical staff and the racers who brought the ideology to NHRA is this:
Participating While Pregnant
Participants who wish to participate in drag racing while pregnant must request a Pregnancy in Drag Racing information packet from the Racing Administration department. The participant’s OB/GYN provider must review and complete all forms provided in the information packet and return them to NHRA for review and approval by NHRA and its chief medical officer. Participation in drag racing while pregnant is completely voluntary and subject to the processes and policies described in the Pregnancy in Drag Racing information packet.
Stopping Participation
If, after having participated in one (1) or more races after the start of a season, a participant who is pregnant (or undergoing fertility treatment in advance of pregnancy) wishes to stop participating as a result of her pregnancy (or fertility treatment), the following rules will apply:
1. Upon submission and NHRA’s acceptance of a pregnancy verification letter signed by the participant’s OB/GYN provider, the pregnant driver may be replaced by a replacement driver.
2. The replacement driver must have proper credentials and meet event entry criteria.
3. For purposes of the series championship:
- a. if the replacement driver earns fewer overall series points than the driver who stopped participating as a result of her pregnancy (or fertility treatment), all series points earned by the replacement driver will be credited to the driver who stopped participating as a result of her pregnancy (or fertility treatment); and
- b. if the replacement driver earns more overall series points than the driver who stopped participating as a result of her pregnancy (or fertility treatment), all series points earned by the replacement driver will be credited to the replacement driver.
4. For purposes of calculating the points earned by each driver for this policy, NHRA will count only those points earned by each driver in connection with Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events (including qualifying bonus points, but not including points earned in specialty races such as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge). Points credited to a driver as a result of points adjustments for the Countdown to the Championship will not count for purposes of this policy.
5. In the event the replacement driver and the driver who stopped participating as a result of her pregnancy (or fertility treatment) earn the same amount of points, the driver with the most rounds won during the regular season will be credited all series points.
6. Any event prize monies will be paid to the payee as designated on the original entry form.
Returning to Participation
If, at the start of a season, a participant chooses to refrain from participating in drag racing, or is not authorized to participate in drag racing, in each case as a result of a recent pregnancy, then the following rules will apply:
1. If the original participant (i.e., formerly pregnant participant and medically cleared to participate) competes in one (1) or more national events prior to the first event of the Countdown to the Championship, all points earned by the replacement driver will be credited to the original participant.
- 2. If the original participant (i.e., formerly pregnant participant and medically cleared to participate) does not compete in one (1) or more national events prior to the first event of the Countdown to the Championship, then all points earned by the replacement driver will be credited to the replacement driver.
Pruett pointed out that with “motorsports becoming more diverse, [this policy] acknowledges that women are not just competing but we’re winning national events and winning world championships, that we’re building our careers on it, but no one ever acknowledged the one thing that really stops that career, and this speaks to that. I really hope this policy not only changes what happens on the track in regard to females, but changes the conversation in the boardroom, to better prepare for stronger relationships.
“I really want to acknowledge Glen Cromwell (NHRA president), Josh Peterson (vice president of racing administration) and Dr. Surface for their help to navigate it through, and a tip of the hat to Richard Freeman (owner of Elite Motorsports) for encouraging me to pursue this. I look forward to this new policy making a positive impact on the women in motorsports as a whole, short term and long term,” Pruett emphasized.
By Anne Proffit
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