Hagan Scores Funny Car Title in TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat at NHRA Northwest Nationals, Stewart’s Top Fuel Semifinals Streak Snapped

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.

Hagan, working with new crew chiefs Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler in 2025, posted round wins over Buddy Hull, Beckman and Alexis DeJoria before facing Capps in the final round, as the Virginia racer was the class of the field with low elapsed times in the second round (3.861), third round (3.879) and the final round (3.904).

Hagan’s runner-up performance last month at Norwalk, Ohio, showed that his new crew chiefs were producing impressive runs with Hagan at the controls, and the Seattle win for Hagan and his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat squad now gives the NHRA Funny Car field a car to watch for heading into the NHRA “Countdown” playoffs starting in September.

“It has been a while since my last win, last year at Dallas,” said Hagan. “And I’m very happy for the whole team, especially Mike Knudsen, who took over as crew chief this year. We were on a learning curve with Mike as a new crew chief after many years working under Dickie Venables with our team. Dickie helped us win three World Championships and many race wins. And we feel that success will continue with Mike working with Phil Shuler (co-crew chief) and Alex Conaway (car chief). I want to thank Tony (Stewart, team owner) too, for bringing in a new guy to head his Funny Car team.

“I would have liked to have won earlier this year, but everyone was learning, and this win feels great. I think with a final round at Norwalk and a win at Seattle that we are definitely coming into our own with our TSR Dodge//SRT team. We are very happy to put Direct Connection back in the winner’s circle too. I have been with Dodge for some 18 years now and all my NHRA wins have come in a Dodge Funny Car. So, getting career win No. 53 is very special. It takes time to build that confidence in a new crew chief and a new team overall. But we have it now.”

Knudsen said his crew has been developing a strong unit to give Hagan a more competitive car as the season enters the final stages.

“We knew that the tide was turning in Norwalk,” said Knudsen. “Every run has built more confidence for our team as well as Matt, and we showed that today with our first 2025 win. Now, we feel we have a good combination heading to Sonoma this coming week. We hope this is just a start towards the ‘Countdown.’”

After eight consecutive semifinals finishes, including two NHRA Top Fuel victories (Las Vegas and Joliet), NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart had his streak snapped when he lost to eventual Seattle race winner Shawn Langdon in the quarterfinals. Langdon’s 3.685 pass bettered Stewart’s 4.817 when Stewart’s dragster had mechanical issues at halftrack.

Despite the loss, Stewart remains the only Top Fuel driver to capture a first-round victory in every NHRA national event this year with a “holeshot” win over Josh Hart in the opening round. Stewart’s quick reaction time off the starting line helped him take the win light with a 3.751 to Hart’s 3.746.

Stewart now ranks second in the current NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel standings with 906 points to Langdon’s 918 after 11 races in the 20-event campaign.

“There were highs and lows to the weekend,” Stewart said. “We had a good round one today. We knew if we made it to round two, that was going to be one of the biggest rounds of our season so far racing Shawn (Langdon). We had an unfortunate explosion again. It’s a part of racing and it’s going to happen in this sport. It’s just unfortunate it caught us two events in a row. We’ll rebound from it. We lost the points lead, but we’re only 12 points behind, which is only one round down. We’re still within striking distance. It’s hard to be disappointed. Every time I feel frustrated about it, I think about where we were this time last year. This was one of the lowest points of the season when we left Seattle. We’ll carry our heads high and just keep plugging away at it.”

Sweden’s Ida Zetterström made her return to NHRA Mission Top Fuel action at the Northwest Nationals in the JCM/Dodge//SRT dragster after a layoff and qualified tenth. Unfortunately, the former FIA European Top Fuel champion competed against former NHRA world champion Brittany Force and lost in the first round with a 3.752 to Force’s 3.696.

“It was a tough weekend for us,” remarked Zetterström. “I had the best reaction times I’ve had in a while throughout qualifying, so I felt really confident about that. I wish I could have left on a higher note in terms of my performance, but Brittany’s run was tough to beat. I’m happy we got that A-to-B pass, so we have a foundation to work from when we get to Sonoma. I think I’ve shown that I can do it. It’s about getting everything to come together. People don’t realize how many small things go into it behind the scenes.”

The nitro action returns this week with the NHRA Sonoma Nationals as qualifying begins Friday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. PDT, followed by Saturday’s qualifying sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. PDT. The final eliminations will begin on Sunday, July 27, at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

The NHRA Denso Sonoma Nationals telecast will get underway on Sunday, July 27, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT on the Fox Sports 1 Network.