- Chad Green Drives to Quarterfinals Sunday at Rain-Delayed NHRA Winternationals with Teammate Blake Alexander out in 1st Round
- PDRA Rolling Into North Carolina For Two-For-One Weekend at East Coast Nationals
- MATT HAGAN WINS NHRA 1000TH FUNNY CAR RACE; LEAH PRUETT ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS
- Hagan Drives TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat to Victory at Pomona in 1,000th Funny Car Race
- J.R. Todd Races to NHRA Pomona Semifinal Finish
- Shawn Langdon Loses Close Pomona Semifinal
- Doug Kalitta On Wrong End of Epic NHRA Pomona Semifinal
Chad Green Drives to Quarterfinals Sunday at Rain-Delayed NHRA Winternationals with Teammate Blake Alexander out in 1st Round
Recent Gatornationals Champion Qualifies Sixth, Remains in Top 4 in Funny Car Points
POMONA, CA – Chad Green of Midland, Texas, drove his nitro-burning CGM Bond-Coat Ford Mustang Funny Car to the quarterfinals Sunday at the rain-delayed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
After two days of qualifying at the historic Los Angeles County Fairgrounds facility, Green qualified sixth in the 16-car Funny Car field. Persistent rainstorms delayed eliminations throughout Sunday morning and afternoon, but once the NHRA Safety Safari prepared the track, Green opened eliminations with a strong first-round victory over veteran Paul Lee.
Green clocked a 3.963-second pass at 326.87 mph to defeat Lee, who smoked the tires early in his run. In the quarterfinals, Green recorded a 3.970-second run at 325.22 mph, but fell to John Force Racing’s Jordan Vandergriff, who posted a quicker 3.914 to advance.
Despite the loss, Green remains fourth in the NHRA Mission Funny Car point standings with 223 points as the series heads to Charlotte.
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PDRA Rolling Into North Carolina For Two-For-One Weekend at East Coast Nationals
BENSON, NC – Racers in the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series professional, sportsman, and Jr. Dragster categories will have the opportunity to compete for two race wins in one event this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech. Held at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C., April 16-18, the second of seven races on the 2026 PDRA schedule will see the series complete eliminations from its season-opening KTR Drag Racing Carolina Nationals presented by Pee Dee Fleet on Thursday before rolling into Friday qualifying and Saturday eliminations.
The pro classes completed two rounds of eliminations at the Carolina Nationals at Darlington Dragway before numerous delays and cold track temperatures led series officials to postpone the rest of the event to the East Coast Nationals. The two-in-one aspect creates an action-packed schedule for racers and fans attending the race at Darana Motorsports Park, formerly known as GALOT Motorsports Park.
“This is a staple track on the PDRA schedule and it’s not the first time we’ve contested two races in one weekend here,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “This track has a rich history in this area and it’s become one of the nicest eighth-mile dragstrips in the world. It’s going to be a busy weekend, no doubt. Whether fans are sitting in the stands or tuned in on FloRacing, they’re going to see nonstop racing action from the time they tune in on Thursday until event champions are crowned on Saturday night.”
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MATT HAGAN WINS NHRA 1000TH FUNNY CAR RACE; LEAH PRUETT ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS
POMONA, CA – Matt Hagan and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car team capped off the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip with Hagan’s 56th career victory not only taking home an NHRA 75th Anniversary Wally but the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car event trophy.
Hagan took down three-time Funny Car world champion and most recent NHRA event winner Ron Capps in the final round. Hagan handled the JHG Dodge Hellcat to a 3.876-second pass at 330.39 mph to defeat Capps’ 3.893 at 334.32. It is Hagan’s eighth overall victory at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, fourth at the NHRA Winternationals.
“I’m trying to catch Capps on overall wins [Ron Capps has 78 career victories]. But he has 20 years of racing on me. One thing about Ron is he’s just a great driver. He took me under his wing when I was first out here, and we got into all kinds of trouble together too. So, when we race each other, even back in the DSR days, we really throw it down, especially in the final round,” Hagan said. “Pomona Dragstrip has shown me so much love over the years. It’s a magical place, because champions are crowned here at the end of the year. There’s just so many great memories made here. It felt like the championship, because the lights were on just like the World Finals in the fall. When you pull up to the starting your adrenaline’s going, and you’re trying to control your breathing. I was too pumped up in the final, and I almost double stepped the car up there off the line.
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Hagan Drives TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat to Victory at Pomona in 1,000th Funny Car Race
Pruett Records No. 1 Qualifying Spot, TSR Owner Stewart Secures Top Fuel Win
Auburn Hills, MI – Four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan enjoyed a magical weekend at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals by capturing the historic 1,000th NHRA Funny Car race Sunday and the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Qualifying Challenge Saturday at the wheel of the 12,000-horsepower Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) JHG Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, while TSR teammate Leah Pruett was the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier and TSR team owner Tony Stewart captured his third NHRA national event for Elite Motorsports at the In-N-Out Dragstrip.
Hagan scored his fifth Winternationals title and eight overall In-N-Out Dragstrip triumph at the legendary Los Angeles County Fairgrounds racing facility with a close final round matchup with longtime rival Ron Capps. In recording his 56th career NHRA Funny Car win, Hagan posted a 3.876 to Capps’ 3.893 to round out a sensational event.
After qualifying fourth in the 16-car lineup, Hagan collected another $10,000 and a special Mission trophy by besting veteran Paul Lee in the final of the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Qualifying Challenge on Saturday with a 3.940. During Sunday’s rain-delayed eliminations, Hagan was the model of consistency that led to the coveted 1,000th Funny Car race victory. The Virginia racer clocked a 3.892 in defeating Spencer Hyde in round one, a 3.906 over Jason Rupert in round two and a 3.886 in the semifinals race against J.R. Todd.
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J.R. Todd Races to NHRA Pomona Semifinal Finish
Pomona, CA – Qualifying: J.R. Todd was the No. 1 qualifier at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals; it was Todd’s first No. 1 qualifier since 2021. In the final qualifying session. Todd made a 3.896-second pass at 335.82 mph.
Eliminations: Todd defeated Blake Alexander and Jack Beckman before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals when the DHL GR Supra smoked the tires. In the first round win, Todd’s 3.889-second run at 337.16 mph was the quickest.
When Todd advanced to the quarterfinals, he earned a spot in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next race near Charlotte. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the second round in Pomona will run the 4-wide semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
Unofficial Point Standings: Todd leaves Pomona in third place in in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails the drivers tied for first place in points, second-place Ron Capps and Matt Hagan, by 27 points and leads fourth-place Chad Green by one point.
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Shawn Langdon Loses Close Pomona Semifinal
Pomona, CA – Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 3 qualifier at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.
During the second round of qualifying Friday afternoon, Langdon reached the finish line in 3.745 seconds at 338.51 mph to claim the third position.
Eliminations: Langdon defeated Tony Schumacher and Billy Torrence before losing to Tony Stewart in the semifinals in a phenomenal drag race. Stewart’s 3.701-second run at 334.98 mph defeated Langdon’s 3.718 at 339.53. The margin of victory was .0235 seconds.
When Langdon advanced to the quarterfinals, he earned a spot in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next race near Charlotte. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the second round in Pomona will run the 4-wide semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
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Doug Kalitta On Wrong End of Epic NHRA Pomona Semifinal
Pomona, CA – Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 5 qualifier at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.
Kalitta made his quickest run during the final round of qualifying Saturday afternoon when he posted a 3.747-second effort at 333.65 mph.
Eliminations: In a race day delayed multiple times by weather and on-track delays, Kalitta was paired with Ron August, Jr., in the first round, but August did not start the race giving Kalitta the round win. Kalitta advanced to the second round with a 3.719-second pass at 339.79 mph setting the track speed record. He ran 3.694 in the second round to defeat Clay Millican and set up a semifinal matchup with Justin Ashley.
In an epic race, the drivers recorded identical elapsed times. Both drivers had excellent reaction times, but Ashley left the starting line nine thousandths of a second before Kalitta giving him the round win by nine thousandths of a second. Ashley’s 3.705 at 326.34 mph defeated Kalitta’s 3.705 at 340.56 mph. With the speed, Kalitta reset the track record he set earlier in the day. Continue reading
Motorsports Legends Shine at the 66th Annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals
Tony Stewart Claims Top Fuel Victory, Matt Hagan Wins Milestone 1,000th Funny Car Race, Greg Anderson Takes Pro Stock Win
POMONA, CA — The historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip played host to thrilling final rounds on Sunday as the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals concluded Race 3 of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Motorsports icon Tony Stewart powered to his third career Top Fuel win, four-time world champion Matt Hagan captured the 1,000th Funny Car race in NHRA history, and Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson added another Pomona victory to his legendary resume.
In Top Fuel, Tony Stewart wheeled his R+L Carriers dragster to a winning pass of 3.683 seconds at 332.51 mph in the final round, defeating Justin Ashley. The victory marked Stewart’s first Winternationals title in the class and highlighted a strong showing for his team at the famed Southern California venue.
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Alexis DeJoria Builds Momentum with Quarterfinal Finish at NHRA Winternationals
POMONA, CA – Alexis DeJoria continued to build momentum with John Force Racing at the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, driving her Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car to a quarterfinal finish Sunday afternoon. In pursuit of the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car Wally, DeJoria picked up championship bonus points in qualifying and posted a solid showing in eliminations. She leaves the third of 20 races on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour ranked seventh in the Funny Car points standings.
After a tricky first qualifying session on Friday, DeJoria bounced back in the second session with a 3.989-second pass at 328.30 mph to jump up to the provisional No. 2 spot. It was also the second-quickest pass of the session, earning two championship bonus points for DeJoria. She followed that up on Saturday with a 3.998 E.T. at 324.83 mph in the third session and her quickest pass of qualifying, a 3.979 E.T. at 328.46 mph, in the final session. With the confidence that comes with making three quick and consistent runs in qualifying, DeJoria went into eliminations in the No. 7 position.
DeJoria and crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg kept their momentum rolling in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. DeJoria grabbed a slight starting line advantage over Dave Richards and powered to her quickest pass of the event, a 3.906-second performance at 330.07 mph, to move on to the quarterfinals with lane choice. When Funny Car’s second round kicked off, DeJoria moved first off the starting line against Ron Capps before losing traction early. Though she pedaled the Bandero Café machine in an attempt to chase down Capps, DeJoria ultimately lifted off the throttle as Capps posted low E.T. of the round.
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Dylan Winefsky Maximizes Winternationals Weekend
POMONA, CA – Rolling into the 66th Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Funny Car driver Dylan Winefsky was eager to make his mark at the 1000th NHRA Funny Car race. Coming off a record setting performance three weeks ago at the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals at his hometown track Firebird Motorsports Park the rising star was focused on building momentum. The 21-year-old driver made the most of this weekend on and off the track qualifying and spending time with the fans.
“Going into Q4 yesterday, being number 11 was definitely a huge positive,” said Winefsky. “Even though we got bumped down to 15th, we are using that as a confidence boost. It was a plus having two back-to-back races within two weeks. Everything is fresh on your mind, and you remember all the movements. It’ll be a little tough not being in the car for a couple months, but I’m going to get to drive Johnny West’s car in Tucson, Arizona in a couple weeks.”
Dylan Winefsky has another strong showing during the 2026 NHRA Winternationals,
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