Auburn Hills, MI – Four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan was close to his second 2025 NHRA Mission Funny Car win on Sunday at the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals with a runner-up placing in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat, while TSR teammate Tony Stewart took his Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster to the semifinals.

Hagan, a Four-Wide winner at zMAX Dragway last year, was seeking his 54th career NHRA victory as he matched up in the final round against reigning world champion Austin Prock, Gatornationals winner Chad Green and Arizona Nationals winner Daniel Wilkerson. An engine explosion in the semifinal forced the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT crew to prepare a backup SRT Hellcat body for the final round competition.

Hagan, who also won at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in July, came back to record a 3.952 to Prock’s 3.912 to take second in the four-car finale, and the runner-up finish moved the Virginia driver to second in the current Funny Car points standings as the NHRA Mission campaign travels to St. Louis this weekend (Sept. 26-28) for the NHRA Midwest Nationals. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – Famed Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, is known as the “House of Chaos” and Dodge//SRT drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan experienced their own wild rides Sunday at the sold-out NHRA Reading Nationals in their Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT nitro-burning machines.

Stewart, the motorsports legend from Indiana, entered Sunday’s final eliminations with the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points lead and captured the opening round of action with a solid victory over eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, advancing to face Doug Kalitta in the quarterfinals.

In the race, Kalitta edged Stewart with a 3.787 to a 3.809, but it was the aftermath which caused a mishap with both drivers involved in a chaotic ending to the race in the shutdown area. Kalitta’s front left wheel collapsed and forced him into Stewart’s path at over 300 miles per hour and both cars collided. Stewart’s dragster was forced into the outside wall and dipped on his side before landing upright sliding to a stop, while Kalitta’s car spun in the middle of the track. Both drivers amazingly were able to walk away to the cheers of the huge Reading crowd. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – Tony Stewart, the motorsports legend, continues to add to his amazing racing resume by clinching the 14-race NHRA

Cornwell Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

Mission Foods Top Fuel regular season points championship Monday with a runner-up finish in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster at the 71st U.S. Nationals, while TSR teammate Matt Hagan advanced to the quarterfinals in the Funny Car class.

Stewart, the only driver to win pro races in NHRA, NASCAR, IndyCar and all three classes of USAC competition, came from third in the Top Fuel points standing entering the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park classic to win the $150,000 regular-season top prize as he scored three round victories of competition and captured the Top Fuel regular series campaign by 39 points over rival Shawn Langdon.

Stewart, a two-time 2025 NHRA Top Fuel race winner, scored round wins over four-time world champion Steve Torrence, Kyle Wurtzel and Jasmine Salinas before facing off with Justin Ashley in the coveted final round at the event known in drag racing circles as the “Big Go,” After qualifying tenth at 3.744, Stewart recorded times of 3.716, 3.802 and 3.837 entering the final. Continue reading →

Stewart Remains Second in Top Fuel Points in TSR Dodge//SRT Dragster

Auburn Hills, MI – Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan drove their nitro-burning Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT machines to the quarterfinals Sunday in the Lucas Oil NHRA National drag races in unusually cool conditions at Brainerd International Raceway as the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series heads toward the all-important “Countdown for the Championship.”

Stewart, the motorsports legend in his second year of Top Fuel competition, has been one of the highlights of the 2025 NHRA national tour with two event wins (Las Vegas and Chicago) and leading the Top Fuel points standings for several months. The former NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC series champion has been impressive in his fourth different racing discipline and remains in the Top Fuel fight for the title, ranking second in points.

With four 3.70 runs this weekend, Stewart qualified fifth in his 12,000-horsepower American Rebel Light Beer Dodge//SRT Top Fueler and defeated Josh Hart in the opening round of eliminations Sunday at the Brainerd drag strip with 3.733 to Hart’s 3.788. In the quarterfinals, with cooler 65-degree weather, the man known as “Smoke” was again quick off the starting line against Billy Torrence. However, Stewart’s 3.746 was not enough to defeat Torrence’s 3.708 at the finish line. The race margin was just 0.01 seconds. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – Dodge racer Matt Hagan continued to produce impressive results in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals before losing a close race in the semifinals Sunday, while TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart took his first 2025 first-round loss in Top Fuel.

Hagan, winner of last week’s NHRA Northwest Nationals for his 53rd career NHRA Funny Car victory, came to the popular Sonoma Raceway looking for his first NHRA win at the Northern California racing facility and immediately made his presence felt by qualifying in the No. 1 position with a strong 3.861. Hagan had entered the Sonoma Nationals third in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as he seeks a fifth World title this year.

The Virginia driver started off Sunday in final eliminations with a solid 3.884 in defeating veteran Jeff Diehl in round one, followed by a “holeshot” win over Bob Tasca III in the second round with a 3.937 to Tasca’s 3.936. The quarterfinal triumph then matched up Hagan in the semifinals against reigning World Champion Austin Prock, who nipped Matt in the Summit Nationals final last month. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – Matt Hagan returned to the winner’s circle Sunday with his 12,000-horsepower Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car for his first 2025 victory at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, while TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Top Fuel.

Hagan, the popular four-time NHRA World Champion, notched his 53rd NHRA career win (all in Dodge//SRT Funny Cars) by defeating longtime rival Ron Capps in the final round at Pacific Raceways with a solid starting line advantage (0.054) and recorded a 3.904 to Capps’ 3.919. It was the 15th final round matchup for the two former World titleholders, with Hagan now winning nine races.

The win also moved Hagan into third in the current NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car points standings, just 26 behind second place Jack Beckman, as the NHRA tour now heads to Sonoma Raceway on July 25-27 for the annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – Four-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan exhibited phenomenal driving skills Sunday in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat, posting a runner-up finish at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals while his TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart drove to his eighth consecutive 2025 semifinals finish in the Top Fuel class.

Hagan, the 52-time NHRA national race winner from Christiansburg, Virginia., defeated three former world champions – J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon – enroute to the final round against reigning world champion Austin Prock. Hagan’s starting line prowess at Summit Motorsports Park was outstanding with two impressive 0.052 reaction times and a 0.050 in the final against Prock.

Despite Hagan’s quick reaction time in the final round, the driver of the Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat wasn’t able to hold off a charging Prock at the finish line, as Prock clocked a 4.064 to Matt’s 4.095. Hagan held the advantage over Prock at halfway, and the difference was just 0.0166 seconds at the finish. Continue reading →

North Dinwiddie, VA – Even though he didn’t do as well as hoped, Tony Stewart leaves Virginia as the only Top Fuel driver that has advanced past Round 1 of eliminations in every event this season. He has advanced to the Semifinals in seven of the first nine events.  A noteworthy accomplishment!

Stewart’s Round 1 run of 3.872-seconds was low ET (elapsed time) of the round.

By advancing to the Semifinals at the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, Stewart qualified to participate in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the next event, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, where he will face a rematch against Shawn Langdon.
Hagan is the current track record holder at Virginia Motorsports park for both time and speed, a mark he set in 2022. The 3.853-seccond run set the track record for time. His Q1 run in 2022 set the track record for speed at 335.82 mph.

Virginia represents a home race for Hagan. The 52-time event winner is a native of Christiansburg, Virginia, located 190 miles west of the track. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – For the second consecutive week in NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series Top Fuel action, Hall of Famer Tony Stewart lost by inches in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT dragster, but managed to extend his Top Fuel points lead with a semifinals finish, while Dodge//SRT racer Matt Hagan suffered another close defeat in the Funny Car division at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Stewart, the Top Fuel champion at Las Vegas and Chicago this year, was seeking a sixth straight 2025 NHRA Top Fuel final round appearance at the legendary Bristol, Tenn., dragstrip after recording his first No. 1 qualifying position on Saturday with a 3.755. In addition, “Smoke” defeated former World Champion Doug Kalitta in the special Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Saturday for his first Mission trophy.

Entering the Thunder Valley Dragway event, Stewart held the top spot in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings and extend his advantage to 76 points after just missing by inches moving on to his sixth straight final round. In the semifinal, he took on former World Champion Steve Torrence with Stewart taking the starting line margin. However, Torrence nipped Stewart by 0.0025 seconds, less than a foot, with a 3.861 to Torrence’s 3.857 despite a cut left front tire. Torrence went on to win the Bristol event over Justin Ashley. Continue reading →

Auburn Hills, MI – It is hard to imagine traveling over 330 miles per hour and losing a drag race by a few inches, but that was the story Sunday at the NHRA New England Nationals for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan. Stewart advanced to his fifth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel final round and fell just short of a third 2025 win, while Funny Car driver Hagan exited in a close first-round battle,

Stewart, the driver known as “Smoke,” qualified second on Saturday at 3.694 in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster and drove to the final round with wins over Rit Pustari with a 3.699, Justin Ashley with a 3.733 and current World Champion Antron Brown with a 3.711. Then, in the final round, Stewart posted a spectacular 0.049 reaction time off the starting line against Brittany Force’s 0.068, but Force ran over 340 miles per hour to nip Stewart at the finish line for the win. Force ran 3.694 to Stewart’s 3.720, a finishing margin of just 0.0074.

With Stewart’s fifth straight final round appearance, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, who has won NHRA Top Fuel races at Las Vegas and Chicago this year, extended his NHRA Mission Top Fuel points lead to 71 over Shawn Langdon as the 20-race series moves to Bristol, Tenn., this weekend (June 6-8) for the annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Continue reading →