Pruett Looking for her First Top Fuel Victory at Topeka

Topeka, KS – The Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas, marks the 14th event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ 22-race calendar. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) brings its two fulltime entries – one in Top Fuel for 10-time event winner Leah Pruett and one in Funny Car for three-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan – to the third-to-last race of the regular season before the Countdown to the Championship begins Sept. 15-18 with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.

After the 16th and final regular-season event on Sept. 5 with the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the top-10 drivers in the standings of each of the four professional categories of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – qualify for the Countdown to the Championship. The top-10 drivers in each class then compete in the final, six-race playoffs to vie for the title. Coming into Topeka, Pruett is sixth in the Top Fuel championship standings, 410 points behind leader Brittany Force with a 100-point margin over 11th-place Tony Schumacher.

Mopar 85th Anniversary will be featured on Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster this weekend at Topeka, as well as during next weekend’s NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway. A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide. Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support and, today, integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide. Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com.

Pruett first joined forces with Dodge//SRT and Mopar in 2016. However, TSR’s ties to Mopar go back even further. Its roots are in sprint car racing, with Mopar powering multiple TSR entries in USAC and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series from 2001 through 2007. Seven of TSR’s 27 open-wheel championships were won with Mopar.

The Menards NHRA Nationals will serve as Pruett’s 185th career Top Fuel start and her eighth at Topeka.

Pruett is eyeing her first victory in the Menards NHRA Nationals while also seeking her first No. 1 qualifier at the event. Pruett’s best result came in 2017 when she qualified second and lost to Antron Brown in the semifinals. In 2021, Pruett drove a Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to the final round in the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown before losing to John Cerbone.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Mopar 85th Anniversary Top Fuel Dragster

You completed nine out of a possible 12 rounds during the NHRA’s Western Swing, a run highlighted by a July 17 win in the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver, Colorado. Now that you’ve had a week off to reflect on your team’s recent success, what is your confidence level heading into Topeka?

“The confidence really comes from the situational improvements we were able to identify and act on during the Western Swing, from preparation of going rounds, to a strong revaluation in our clutch program, to my driving style as the long days progressed. We’ve said all along that we need more runs to learn more, to gain stride, and we were able to do that through the Western Swing.”

With three races remaining prior to the Countdown, are there some specific things you want to achieve in Topeka?

“Our focus is heavier toward qualifying position than it has been all year because we’re operating in a space where we can confidently work to improve our times, as opposed to making A-to-B runs. Strengthening our position in the points to the top-five is high on our priority list.”

You’re running a special scheme at Topeka commemorating Mopar’s 85th anniversary. Talk about your history with Mopar and what it means to represent such a significant milestone for the brand.

“Eighty-five years is a long time, especially in the automotive space. For Mopar to continue their dedication toward increased performance for their customers for so many years, and only getting stronger, makes me extremely proud to carry on the Mopar legacy. It’s not like it is just another birthday of company existence, this year is truly a landmark in time for Mopar with the Power Brokers dealership program and the re-launch of Direct Connection. Happy Birthday Mopar! We’ll be working hard to bring home the gold for you in Topeka!”