TSR Rolls the Dice in Vegas

Tony Stewart Racing made its mark at the 25th annual Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection this weekend, with both drivers advancing deep into eliminations as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season races toward its dramatic conclusion.

The weekend began with promise for the TSR Dodge//SRT^® team on Friday, as both Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan positioned themselves near the top of their respective classes in Friday night qualifying. Stewart’s second round qualifying pass was his best of the weekend and landed him the fifth spot in the 13-car Top Fuel field with a solid 3.741 ET at 330.72 mph in his Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster. The run demonstrated the consistency that has defined Stewart’s sophomore season in Top Fuel, putting him in a strong position for Sunday’s eliminations.

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan showcased why he remains one of the most formidable competitors in the class. The four-time champion qualified in the number 3 spot with a 3.897 ET at 329.75 mph in his American Rebel Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat, trailing points leader and P1 qualifier Austin Prock by just 12 hundredths of a second. The impressive qualifying run set Hagan up perfectly for eliminations and kept him within striking distance of Prock’s points lead.

When asked about this weekend’s event, Hagan had this to say, “Being able to win in Vegas is always big, especially in the Countdown. We’ve had a lot of success there. We’re halfway to Denver there with the altitude and air, so it’s sometimes tough to make power, but we always seem to do a good job with that in our Dodge//SRT Hellcat.”

Sunday’s eliminations brought both triumph and heartbreak for Tony Stewart Racing under perfect racing conditions at The Strip. Stewart, who won his first career Top Fuel race at this same facility during the spring’s Four-Wide Nationals, came into race day after a solid qualifying performance.

In the opening round, Stewart faced Canadian Dan Mercier in what proved to be an easy race. The second round brought Stewart face-to-face with eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher in a battle of motorsports legends. Stewart ran a respectable 3.778 ET, but Schumacher’s veteran savvy wasn’t enough, with a slightly slower 3.808 in the round of eight. Stewart’s performance demonstrated the never-say-die attitude of the TSR Top Fuel program.

The semifinals brought Stewart face-to-face with Brittany Force. Stewart got the advantage off the starting line, showing his improved reaction time skills, but around the 330-foot mark, his Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster spun the tires. Unfortunately, tire smoke never ends with quick ETs. The result? A 5.015 at 144.58 while Force powered through with a 3.824 while dropping multiple cylinders from the 330′ mark through the finish to advance to the final. An aggressive tune-up possibly dialed to “KILL” or beyond, in an attempt to stay ahead of Force and her patented top-end charges throughout the 2025 season, may have been a calculated risk for the TSR team. Even though the TSR Top Fuel team loaded up early this weekend, Stewart’s semifinal finish represented a strong performance at the track where he captured his first Top Fuel victory earlier this year.

While Stewart’s impressive run ended in the semifinals against Brittany Force, Matt Hagan delivered a masterclass that extended deep into eliminations. The Virginia native entered Sunday knowing that every round win would be crucial in keeping his championship hopes alive against Prock’s substantial points lead.

Hagan’s opening round matchup against veteran Cruz Pedregon showcased the four-time champion’s consistency and precision. Running a strong 3.927 ET, Hagan dispatched Pedregon to advance to the quarterfinals – his sixth consecutive victory over Pedregon this season. The win ensured that the Funny Car championship battle would extend to the season finale in Pomona, denying Prock the opportunity to clinch the title in Las Vegas.

The quarterfinals brought an even more impressive performance from Hagan. Facing Chad Green, who had upset championship contender Ron Capps in the opening round, Hagan delivered low elapsed time of the entire meet – a blistering 3.879 ET that demonstrated the raw speed and tuning prowess of his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat team. The run was particularly significant given that Prock could only manage a 3.922 in his quarterfinal victory, showing that Hagan and his crew had found something special in the desert air.

“We’re now second in points and within striking distance,” Hagan had noted before the event. “(Austin) Prock and his JFR team is very tough. The kid cuts a good light, and they run really strong. We need to keep doing what we do and not worry about anyone else.”

Hagan’s semifinal round proved to be a tougher challenge. Facing Daniel Wilkerson, who was hunting for his first career NHRA win, Hagan ran a solid 3.91 ET. However, Wilkerson encountered traction issues, allowing Hagan to advance to his sponsor’s event final round – a fitting scenario given Dodge’s title sponsorship of the Nevada Nationals.

“I love it. I think it’s awesome that Dodge is sponsoring the NHRA Nevada Nationals,” Hagan had said when the sponsorship was announced. “It’s important to the brand and it’s important to keep the Dodge name out in front of everyone, especially in the drag racing space.”

The final round pitted Hagan against the dominant Austin Prock, who had been virtually unstoppable all weekend. Prock, seeking his third consecutive Las Vegas victory and a chance to extend his points lead, ran strong but came up just short. Hagan, driving with championship intensity, delivered a clutch 3.877 ET at 327.03 mph to defeat Prock and claim his third victory of the 2025 season. The win at his sponsor’s event – the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals – couldn’t have been more perfectly timed or symbolically significant for the four-time champion and his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat team.

For Tony Stewart Racing, the Nevada Nationals represented both a strong 2025 season and a launching pad for the finale in Pomona. Stewart’s consistent performance throughout the year has established him as a legitimate threat for Top Fuel wins at every event on the calendar. At the same time, Hagan’s resilience and speed continue to showcase why he remains one of Funny Car’s most dangerous competitors.

With pride on the line, Tony Stewart Racing heads to California with two trailers full of skill and determination. “We have one more race this season, and we will try to have a strong finish,” Hagan said, embodying the team’s mindset. With Dodge Direct Connection backing both cars and the entire TSR operation firing on all cylinders, the stage is set for a dramatic conclusion to the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, scheduled for November 13th through the 16th, will crown the 2025 champions and bring the curtain down on another thrilling season of NHRA drag racing. For Tony Stewart Racing, it represents an opportunity to add a couple of Wallys to their growing collection.