Pruett Takes TSR Dodge Top Fuel Dragster to Quarterfinals in NHRA Return, Hagan Posts Impressive Runs with TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car

Auburn Hills, MI – Veteran drag racer Leah Pruett made her return to NHRA drag racing competition Sunday at the NHRA Gatornationals when she drove her Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge Top Fuel dragster to a quarterfinals finish at Gainesville Raceway, while TSR Dodge teammate Matt Hagan debuted his Dodge//SRT Funny Car with a quarterfinals placing.

Pruett, who nearly won the NHRA Mission world championship two years ago in the 2023 final race at Pomona, came back from a two-year hiatus after starting a family with husband Tony Stewart and immediately made her presence felt with a superb 3.690 qualifying performance on Friday night in front of a big crowd. The 3.690 placed the Arizona racer third in the 16-car field for Sunday’s final eliminations.

The 12-time NHRA Top Fuel race winner also recorded low elapsed time (E.T.) in the opening round of Top Fuel competition Sunday with a 3.713 in defeating Jasmine Salinas. In the quarterfinals, Pruett faced reigning Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta, who scored the round win at 3.764 to Leah’s 3.871 in hot, humid conditions.

Pruett’s return to action, with son Dominic watching, was marked by the first wife-husband Top Fuel competition as Stewart, who drove Leah’s racecar the last two years, also drove in the Top Fuel category at the Gatornationals for Elite Motorsports.

“There were a lot of elements to the weekend,” said Pruett. “Overall, I am really happy with where this team is at right now. Zero mistakes were made. We had a strategy for race day that started with qualifying well. We knew track conditions were going to become marginal, and we wanted to be at the front of the pack. We’re going to keep digging for where to improve upon certain areas, but Doug [Kalitta] had a hell of a run. Now that I’ve got a report card, I know how to move forward. And on a personal side of things, I’ve seen my son minutes at a time during a day. So that’s something to adjust to and that is fine.

“We’re completing this event with a lot of momentum. The team has a lot of momentum. I’m in a better spot than I thought I was going to be starting the 2026 season and that I’m excited about. I had a plan coming into the season. When it came to reaction times, from a physical standpoint, I didn’t know that in two years off where I would be with the pedal. I’ve got a lot of work to do in the next two weeks, getting ready for Phoenix.”

Pruett’s longtime Dodge drag racing teammate, four-time world champion Matt Hagan, put together a solid performance in his all-new TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car at the NHRA Gatornationals with the fifth spot in qualifying (3.931) and two excellent runs in eliminations.

The Virginia driver defeated Julie Nataas in the first round of action with a strong 3.976 at 326.63 mph to advance to the quarterfinals against defending Gatornationals champion Chad Green. Green upset Hagan in the semifinals on his way to the 2025 event win.

This time, Hagan had another sensational time of 3.967, but Green’s quick reaction time off the starting line gave him the win with a 3.975. After Green’s “holeshot” victory, he went on to capture his second consecutive NHRA Gatornationals title.

“Obviously, that one (lost) fell on the driver,” said Hagan. “The team gave me a great racecar and the Dodge//SRT Hellcat has been running very well. Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler and Alex Conaway have been making some great calls with this new chassis. We ran 3.97 and 3.96 in eliminations. My 0.076 (second) light isn’t bad, but Chad (Green) ran a 0.060 against me. So, we got beat by eight inches at the finish line. That’s drag racing. I need to go home and work on my craft for Phoenix in a couple weeks. Everything felt good off the line, and I never saw Chad since we were so close at the lights. He was up for me more than I was for him.

“So that is a tough one to swallow. That’s just one race and we have 19 more to go. The car drove well all three days, and the crowd here at the Gatornatonals was amazing, so big with drag racing fans. It’s not the outcome we wanted and that falls on my shoulders. But I’ve been doing this (Funny Car racing) a long time, and I can take it. I think I can make it up to the team with a few holeshots myself. I have a lot of confidence with this car and team after this race. We showed it at the end of last year with several wins. I think we had one of the most consistent cars here this weekend, and we see a lot of potential with the Dodge//SRT Hellcat.”

In the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) class, reigning two-time champion Mark Pawuk debuted the all-new purpose-built, race-only Dodge Charger Drag Pak by qualifying the HEMI engine-powered car in the 16-car field. However, Pawuk lost in the first round with a 7.964 as the Empaco team continued the development with the new Charger.

The SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack production muscle car was featured in the 75th anniversary NHRA “Legends” race with former champions Joe Amato, Kenny Bernstein, Warren Johnson and Bruce Larson competing on Friday and Saturday at the NHRA Gatornationals. Larson defeated Amato in Saturday’s final. Another highlight of the NHRA Gatornationals was the Dodge Thrill Rides, as racing fans experienced some sideways action in the twin-turbo charged, performance-loaded SIXPACK-powered Charger cars steered by professional drivers.

The next NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series event is the upcoming Arizona Nationals set for March 20-22 at Firebird Motorsports Park. Nitro qualifying is scheduled for Friday, March 20, at 2:30 and 5 p.m. PDT, while Saturday’s action gets underway at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. PDT. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22. The Fox telecast will be seen at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1.

For more information on NHRA, visit NHRA.com.