Dodge
Dodge//SRT Drivers Stewart, Hagan Exit Early at NHRA Midwest Nationals
Auburn Hills, MI – Tony Stewart missed advancing by inches on Sunday in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster in 
one of the closest finishes of the season at the NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis on Sept. 29, while teammate Matt Hagan also had a short day in final Funny Car eliminations.
Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner and driver, went up against veteran Shawn Reed in the first round of eliminations and his 11,000-horsepower racecar was nipped by ten thousandths of a second (0.0001) at the finish line in losing by just three inches. The Indiana driver recorded a 3.755 to Reed’s 3.773, but it took a holeshot by his opponent off the starting line to score the win.
Due to heavy rain in the St. Louis area from Hurricane Helene, Friday’s qualifying sessions were canceled and only two Saturday rounds set the starting fields for Sunday’s eliminations where Stewart secured the eleventh spot to Reed’s sixth position. Continue reading
Hagan Posts Top Qualifying Spot, Advances to NHRA Charlotte Final in Tony Stewart Racing Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
Auburn Hills, MI – Defending NHRA Mission Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan, seeking his second straight zMAX Dragway victory, 
drove his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat to a final-round finish Sunday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, while TSR teammate Tony Stewart exited early in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations.
Hagan, who captured the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals event win in Charlotte last April, and his championship-winning TSR crew had their nitro-burning Dodge//SRT Hellcat machine running strong all weekend with qualifying runs of 3.832 (season best) and 3.865 to secure the No. 1 starting spot entering Sunday’s final eliminations. It was Hagan’s second top-qualifying position of the season after claiming the No. 1 spot at Pomona in March.
The four-time NHRA world champion scored round victories against Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III before facing current NHRA Mission Funny Car points leader Austin Prock in the final round in very hot, humid weather conditions with track temperatures close to 130 degrees. It was Hagan’s 92nd career final round appearance in the Funny Car category. Continue reading
Stewart Goes to Top Fuel Quarterfinals in NHRA Reading Event, Hagan Out Early in Funny Car as NHRA “Countdown” Gets Underway
Auburn Hills, MI – After another strong qualifying effort, Top Fuel “rookie” Tony Stewart, a champion in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC 
competition, drove his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Rinnai Dodge//SRT dragster to the quarterfinals Sunday at the NHRA Reading event.
After campaigning in the first 14 races to secure a Top Ten points position for the NHRA “Countdown,” both Stewart and his TSR teammate Hagan came through qualifying with stout showings, as the NASCAR Hall of Famer took the TSR Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster to fourth while the four-time World Funny Car Champion drove his TSR Operation Healing Forces Dodge//SRT Hellcat car to sixth in the 16-car field.
Stewart continued his three-race stretch of solid qualifying runs with another top four starting spot at 3.741 entering Sunday’s final eliminations, while Hagan, a former Maple Grove NHRA national race winner, recorded a strong 3.897 pass for sixth.
Stewart, who continues to have one of the best reaction times in the Top Fuel division, proved it in round one of eliminations Sunday when he matched up against Billy Torrence. Tony left the starting line first and never looked back with a winning showing to advance to the quarterfinals against former World Champion Shawn Langdon. Continue reading
Stewart Takes 50th Anniversary Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster to Semis at U.S. Nationals, Joins Hagan in Securing Berth in NHRA Playoffs
Auburn Hills, MI – Tony Stewart has become a major factor in his “rookie” NHRA Top Fuel season, notching another impressive 
performance at the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on September 2, 2024. Sporting special 50th anniversary Direct Connection graphics on his Top Fuel dragster, Stewart recorded his second consecutive No. 2 qualifying position in a tough 19-car field and advanced to the semifinals amid a star-studded lineup that included five former NHRA world champions.
Stewart and his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster jumped to the top of the Top Fuel qualifying charts with a sensational 3.707 and 331.04 mile per hour run before Brittany Force nipped his time for the pole with a 3.693. The Indiana driver came back in hot conditions (130-degree track surface) to post a 3.79 run in qualifying.
In final eliminations on Monday, Stewart continued his strong on-track showings with a 3.723 in defeating Doug Foley in the first round and posted a 3.747 in taking out Justin Ashley in round two. His 3.747 run just missed gaining lane choice for the semifinals against former world champion Steve Torrence. In the U.S. Nationals semifinals, Stewart and Torrence left the starting line together but Stewart’s dragster lost traction down the track and Torrence advanced to the final round. Continue reading
Tony Stewart Racing Celebrates Dodge Direct Connection 50th Anniversary
With Special NHRA U.S. Nationals Livery for Top Fuel, Funny Car Machines
Auburn Hills, MI – The 50th anniversary of the birth of Direct Connection, the legendary Dodge performance parts brand, will be celebrated 
at the historic 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 28 – Sept. 2, when Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Top Fuel and Funny Car entries will display a special red, white and blue livery at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The special Direct Connection 50th graphics were revealed earlier today by Dodge driver Stewart during a live appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
At the most famous drag race of the year, known as the “Big Go,” the TSR nitro team brings a unique “throwback” design to celebrate the Direct Connection 50th anniversary with motorsports legend Tony Stewart in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster and four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car. Continue reading
Hagan Scores Runner-up Finish at Brainerd in Dodge/SRT Hellcat Funny Car
Stewart Records Best ET and Speed in TSR Top Fuel Dragster
Auburn Hills, MI – Matt Hagan, the reigning and four-time NHRA Mission World Funny Car Champion, raced to a runner-up finish in his
Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, on August 18, 2024.
Prior to his runner-up showing, Hagan was shaking his head in disbelief after four rounds of Funny Car qualifying for the event. Hagan’s best qualifying run of 3.997 left him in the 13th starting position in the 16-car Funny Car lineup entering Sunday’s final eliminations, and the Virginia driver had to match up against three-time World Champion Ron Capps in round one in front of huge Brainerd crowd.
But as Hagan always says, “I have the best race day team out here,” and the Dickie Venables-led TSR Funny Car crew proved that statement again when Sunday’s action got underway, as Hagan drove his Dodge//SRT Hellcat all the way to a runner-up finish in the highly competitive NHRA Mission Funny Car field. Continue reading
Tony Stewart Scores First Top Fuel Final at NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Matt Hagan Takes Semifinal Finish in Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
Auburn Hills, MI – Racing legend Tony Stewart just missed making motorsports history Sunday at the NHRA DENSO Somona Nationals 
when he scored a Top Fuel runner-up finish with his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Rinnai Dodge//SRT nitro-burning dragster.
Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, was attempting to become the first driver in racing history to capture major professional race wins in four separate disciplines (NASCAR, IndyCar, USAC and NHRA) as he faced former world champion Antron Brown in the Top Fuel final round in just his 12th professional event.
Stewart, who had defeated Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and Ron August Jr. in the first three rounds of competition before a large crowd in the 75-degree weather, posted a quicker reaction time over Brown, but Brown’s car drove around Stewart’s mount with a 3.746 to 3.774 for the Top Fuel event title.
Replacing his wife, Leah Pruett, at the beginning of the 2024 season in the TSR Dodge//SRT dragster as the pair begin a family in November, Stewart has been impressive off the starting line and showed it again Sunday with a great reaction time against two of the best in Top Fuel: Ashley in the second round and Brown in the final. The runner-up finish for Stewart keeps him in the top-ten in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings as the series heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, for the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals on Aug. 16-18. Continue reading
Tony Stewart Racing Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Cars Exit Early in Seattle
Auburn Hills, MI – Traction issues for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) nitro drivers Matt Hagan and Tony Stewart made for early exits Sunday in 
their Direct Connection Dodge//SRT nitro machines in the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle, the eleventh stop in the 20-race NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series.
Hagan, the reigning NHRA Mission Funny Car World Champion, won his opening round of competition with a strong 3.891 at 327.43 miles per hour run in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat against Dave Richards and was seeking a quarterfinal victory against Paul Lee when his 11,000-horsepower Funny Car lost traction. Hagan held the starting line advantage with an excellent .059 reaction time, but his mount spun the tires early and Lee moved on to the second round.
Despite the short day for Hagan, the four-time Funny Car World Champion remains in the top three in the NHRA Mission points standings as the national tour heads to Sonoma Raceway on July 26-28 for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Continue reading
Hagan Drives TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat to Semifinals, Stewart Misses by Inches Early in NHRA Summit Racing Nationals
Auburn Hills, MI – Reigning NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Matt Hagan continued his road toward a fifth world 
title Sunday at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, with a semifinals finish in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat nitro-burning race car.
Hagan, who is one of only four drivers to ever win four NHRA Funny Car championships, produced another strong performance, along with his Dickie Venables-led TSR crew, with two round victories in eliminations over former World Champion Cruz Pedregon and defending Norwalk race winner Blake Alexander. Hagan, who qualified sixth in the 16-car Funny Car lineup, recorded times of 3.914 and 3.900 in those wins, including setting low elapsed time (ET) in the second round.
In the semifinals against another former champion, Ron Capps, Hagan’s 11,000-horsepower machine lost traction off the starting line and Capps advanced to the Funny Car final round. Despite the semifinals loss, Hagan continues to pile up valuable points and ranks third, just three points out of second as the Virginia driver now enters the “Western Swing” of the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series with the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways on July 19-21. Continue reading
Dodge Brand Extends Partnership with Tony Stewart Racing in NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series
Auburn Hills, MI – The Dodge brand today announced a partnership extension with the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Nitro organization to 
continue fielding two nitro-burning entries (Top Fuel and Funny Car) in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mission Drag Racing Series.
The Dodge brand’s partnership with TSR, started in 2022, has resulted in 14 NHRA national events wins to date as well as the 2023 NHRA Mission World Funny Car Championship, captured by Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat driver Matt Hagan. In 2024, Stewart announced he was assuming the seat of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel car in place of his wife, Leah Pruett, who stepped away from the driver’s seat this year to start a family with team owner and husband Stewart.
“The Dodge brand is excited to extend our partnership with an elite, winning organization like Tony Stewart Racing,” said Matt McAlear, Dodge brand CEO – Stellantis. “Dodge owns a historic legacy in NHRA competition, and racing icon and legend Tony Stewart, four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan and 18-time NHRA event winner Leah Pruett are the perfect ambassadors to represent our brand and our Direct Connection performance parts line. Along with our Dodge Brotherhood of Muscle, I look forward to continuing to cheer on Tony, Matt, Leah and the entire TSR organization.” Continue reading
