Tony Stewart & Matt Hagan Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel & Funny Car Drivers Gatornationals Report
Gainesville, FL – The NHRA Gatornationals marked Tony Stewart’s first start in the NHRA Top Fuel Dragster. Stewart had a .021 Reaction 
Time (RT) in Round 1 against Justin Ashley’s .031 RT. In the past, Ashley has been the quickest leaver in the Top Fuel field.
The 55th NHRA Gatornationals marked the first event with Mission Foods as the new series sponsor of the NHRA.
Hagan needs just one win to become the 17th pro driver with 50 tour victories. John Force, Robert Hight and Ron Capps currently are the only Funny Car drivers to have reached that plateau. Hagan has won at least three tour events for 11 consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Tony Stewart, Driver of the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster:
“I’m extremely pleased with my first Top Fuel weekend even with the first-round loss today. I cut an 0.21 light against the best leaver in the Top Fuel division, Justin Ashley, and beat him off the line. We were the first pair of cars down the track on Sunday morning, so you really don’t know what to expect. I felt the tires start to shake and I pedaled the throttle. I got back into the pedal as quickly as I could. But Justin just nipped me at the line.
We had a lot of things against us in the first round, being the first pair and going against Justin. People ask me if I train to prepare for quick lights off the line. And, while Leah (Pruett) works on it, I really don’t. Maybe it comes from the other racing I’ve done over the years, but I try to calm down and relax at the line. I don’t have a false sense of security after five runs this weekend. I’m elated with how things went.
There is zero shame in my eyes, even losing to Justin. Seven other guys went home after the first round too. I’m a rookie in Top Fuel and I hope I gained the respect of the other competitors in the class. I feel I was consistent with my starting line procedure and guys didn’t know what I would do. I have learned a lot from Leah and Matt (Hagan) with these nitro cars. Making that first qualifying run on Friday afternoon was the most nerve-wracking for me. I was way calmer with the second run on Friday night.
I was fine sitting in the race car during the rain delays. I’ve sat in a race car for three and a half hours at Darlington, so I’m pretty calm just in sitting the car. Once I’m belted in the car, my heart rate goes way down. Going from the alcohol car to the Top Fuel car is similar from going from a Busch (stock car) to a Cup car. The cars are different, but the procedures are the same. Anytime you are in the first pair down the track on Sunday, the entire team is on edge. You just don’t know what the track is going to do.
I’m not leaving here (NHRA Gatornationals) thinking I know everything about Top Fuel racing. But I do feel good that I didn’t make any mistakes and the team is happy how I did in the car. But things can go 180 degrees at the next event. I know it’s going to be a long learning process. It’s a tough situation for Leah not being in the car right now, but she has been the best coach for me. I would have liked to advance further today, but that’s racing and I’m still learning with each run down the track.”
Matt Hagan, Driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
“That is obviously not the way we want to start the season and the Gatornationals, as the defending event winner the last two years. But that is drag racing and the sport will humble you. We have to keep things in perspective. No one in the trailer was expecting the car to knock the tires off at the hit like that. Sometimes these things happen and you go back to the drawing board. We were trying to be aggressive and I think it was too much for what the track was going to handle.
We were pushing and it’s hard for me to be upset with anyone when we’re trying to run hard and be aggressive and fast. As bad as it is, you just move onto Pomona. I know the type of car we have and the type of guys we have. That’s comforting knowing we have a lot of runs and races ahead of us. We’re still in a bit of a test mode ironing some things out. We’ll just keep moving forward and do the best job we can.”
Tony Stewart, driver of the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster:
Earned No. 11 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.905 ET at 269.24 mph)
Earned No. 7 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.739 ET at 327.82 mph)
Maintained No. 7 provisional qualifying position based off Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Stewart ran a 3.797 ET at 287.35 mph.
Secured No. 9 qualifying position in Q4 on Saturday (3.725 ET at 310.34 mph)
Ran a 4.453 ET at 267.80 mph in Round 1 of eliminations on Sunday, lost to Justin Ashley (4.414 ET at 297.94 mph)
Currently tied for ninth with Brittany Force and Clay Millican in the championship standings, 93 points behind Top Fuel leader Shawn Langdon.
Matt Hagan, driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
Earned No. 5 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.942 ET at 326.87 mph)
Earned No. 4 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.883 ET at 331.20 mph)
Maintained No. 4 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran 4.243 ET at 215.27 mph.
Secured No. 4 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. Funny Car was unable to run Q4 due to rain.
Advanced to Round 2 on Sunday:
Round 1: 3.869 ET at 329.58 mph, defeated Daniel Wilkerson (3.927 ET at 317.12 mph)
Round 2: 9.794 ET at 123.26 mph, lost to Chad Green (3.968 ET at 323.50 mph)
Currently sixth in the Funny Car championship standings, 59 points behind leader J.R. Todd.
Next Up: The next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the NHRA Winternationals March 22-24 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
