Hagan Takes TSR Dodge Funny Car to NHRA Brainerd Nationals Win and Points Lead,TSR Dodge Top Fuel Driver Pruett Clocks 341 MPH in Run to Semifinals Appearance

• Four-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan made a significant move Sunday in his quest for a fifth title with an impressive 58th career win at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals
• Driving the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) American Rebel Light Dodge//SRT Hellcat, Hagan jumped from fifth in NHRA Mission points to the lead with his third 2026 Funny Car victory
• Hagan scored his second career Brainerd career win with a spectacular run of low elapsed times in every elimination round, including a 3.946 in the final against Jordan Vandergriff
• Hagan enters the NHRA U.S. Nationals with a seven-point lead over Vandergriff in the battle for the Funny Car regular season crown
• Hagan defeated Jim Campbell, Chad Green and Austin Prock before Vandergriff in the final
• Hagan’s TSR teammate, Leah Pruett, also enjoyed a stellar weekend at Brainerd with her first 340-plus mph run in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations against Will Smith
• Pruett posted low E.T. in the first round with a 3.702 at 341.08 m.p.h., and advanced to the semifinals Sunday against young Maddi Gordon
• The Arizona racer, with 13 NHRA Top Fuel career wins including this year at the New England Nationals, defeated Smith and former world champion Shawn Langdon entering the semifinals
• In the semifinals matchup, Pruett held the mdi-track advantage but her 3.776 was just nipped at the finish line by Gordon’s 3.770 as Pruett remains third in the current NHRA Top Fuel points
• TSR team owner Stewart, the Winternationals Top Fuel winner, took his R+L Carriers/Elite Top Fueler to the quarterfinals with a win over Josh Hart but lost to Gordon in the second round

Four-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan took a giant step towards a fifth world title Sunday at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals by driving his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Hellcat machine to victory and moved into the NHRA Mission points lead, while TSR teammate Leah Pruett recorded her first 340 mph run in a Top Fuel semifinals finish.

Hagan, the veteran driver from Christiansburg, Va., put in a spectacular performance Sunday at the popular Minnesota racing venue with low elapsed time in each of the four rounds of competition including a strong 3.946-second pass in the final round against points rival Jordan Vandergriff.

Hagan’s movement through the 16-car field started with a stellar 3.897 against Jim Campbell followed by a 3.944 against Chad Green and a 3.942 against reigning world champion Austin Prock, setting up an important matchup with Vandergriff, the current points leader. Hagan’s 3.946 easily bettered Vandergriff’s 4.038 and the Dodge racer now holds a seven-point lead.

The NHRA regular season championship will be on the line at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals on Sept. 4-7, before the six-race “Countdown” series to crown the ultimate champion begins at the inaugural Dodge Great Lake Nationals presented by Mopar on Sept. 18-20 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park. The top ten drivers in points battle for the NHRA Mission Series world championship in the “Countdown.”

“It’s very humbling because you never know what you are going to get in Funny Car,” said Hagan. “I’m just very grateful that we have a great group of guys at TSR. We could have dialed a 3.94 or better every round and that is awfully consistent by Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler, Alex Conaway and the whole crew. Hats off to them. At the end of the day, we definitely could have ’bracket raced’ this car. Tony Stewart gave Mike the opportunity to head up our operation last year, and he learned from Dickie Venables over the years, giving him the chance to really grow into the crew chief role.

“People don’t understand the ’behind the scenes’ stuff with all of the day to day of preparing the cars, driving the big trucks, setting up the tents and pits, wrenching on the parts and everything involved with a team. The unsung heroes are the guys wrenching on the car. You can’t be doing this without the sponsors too like American Rebel Light beer, JHG and, of course, Dodge who I have raced with for some 19 years. That is unheard of especially from an OEM. They will develop new bodies and bring new pieces to the program. It just takes everyone.”

While Hagan continued his fight for a fifth world crown, his TSR Dodge teammate Leah Pruett was making her own noise in the Top Fuel division Sunday by driving the TSR Rush Truck Centers Dodge dragster at 341.08 mph. It was Pruett’s first-time clocking over 340 mph.

Pruett, the 13-time NHRA Top Fuel winner including this year at the New England Nationals, qualified sixth at 3.756, but she stunned the packed Brainard International Raceway crowd with low elapsed time of the Top Fuel eliminations in round one with a strong 3.702 at 341.08 mph. Her win over Will Smith moved the Top Fuel veteran up against former world champion Shawn Langdon in the quarterfinals.

After an impressive 0.030 starting line light, Pruett’s mount raised the front wheels at the 330-foot mark, and she had to lift off the throttle. Despite the lack of power, Pruett was able to defeat Langdon at 4.158 to the Indiana driver’s 4.247. Entering the semifinals, the TSR crew added weight to the front of the race car as well side spoilers to help control the front end. Going against rookie Maddi Gordon, Pruett held the margin at half-track but lost at the finish line in a close content with Gordon at 3.770 to the Dodge racer’s 3.776.

Despite the semifinals defeat, Pruett remained third in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points and secured her spot in the coveted top ten “Countdown” entering the regular season finale on Sept. 4-7 at the U.S. Nationals in Brownsburg, Ind.

“What an eclectic weekend for our TSR Rush Truck Centers Top Fuel dragster,” said Pruett. “Off the trailer, we were No. 2 in qualifying. Then our car decided to be like one of the animals from the (Brainerd) Zoo. Very unpredictable in qualifying but we took sixth. We had to race Wil Smith in the first round of eliminations, and he is one of the best leavers in the category. We really rose to the occasion for him with 3.70 and 341. In E2, up against Shawn Langdon and we had lane choice, and the car lifted the front wheels again. At the 330 mark, if you can’t drive, you can’t race it. I got out of the throttle and pedaled it. I’m coasting to the finish line with no car in sight, but I could hear him coming. I had my eye on the win light, and it came on.

“Going into the semis, we are trying to wrap our heads around what is happening with chassis. We put weight in the front and put the mud flaps on for the semis against Maddi. We had an incredible close race with Maddi. The fact we have conquered the 341 miles per hour mark proves we are learning a lot. It’s a combination of conditions, torque and the back half of the run. We continue (in) our third place (spot) into the biggest drag race of the year at Indy. We’ll test this Monday to get ready.”

TSR team owner Stewart, who won the popular Winternationals in April, took his R+L Carriers/Elite Motorsports Top Fueler to the quarterfinals with a win over Josh Hart with a solid 3.726 in the first round of eliminations. In the quarterfinals, Stewart, the former NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion, lost a very close race to Gordon with a 3.751 to the rookie’s 3.740.

Hagan, Pruett, and the two TSR nitro teams now moved to the 14th round of the 20-race NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series with the historic NHRA U.S. Nationals set for Sept. 4-7 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Nitro qualifying will get underway on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. EDT, followed by Saturday’s action set for 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. EDT. Sunday’s qualifying is scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. EDT. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 7. The final eliminations will be featured in two TV telecasts on Sept. 7 with the Fox Sports 1 broadcast set for 12 p.m. EDT and the FOX national network starting at 2 p.m. EDT.

For more information on NHRA, visit NHRA.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge
For 112 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Today, that legacy roars louder than ever in the next-generation lineup of Dodge, America’s performance brand.

The next-gen Dodge Charger multi-energy lineup features:

• the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger Scat Pack, powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo SIXPACK high-output (H.O.) engine — the most powerful Hurricane engine in production
• the SIXPACK-powered standard-output (S.O.) 420-horsepower Dodge Charger R/T with standard all-wheel drive and the highest entry-level horsepower of any muscle car
• the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car in the all-electric 670-horsepower Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Every Charger comes standard with all-wheel drive and offers two-door coupe or four-door sedan configurations — because with performance comes choice.

The Dodge lineup is also fueled by the fastest American gas-powered SUV ever, the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, powered by the legendary supercharged HEMI V-8 engine, now available in all 50 states. The new Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak breaks free from conventionwith the three-row SUV, unlocking more than13 million potential customization combinations. The 360-horsepower 5.7-liter Durango GT HEMI AWD remains the most affordable AWD V-8 in the industry.

Purchase of a SIXPACK-powered Charger Scat Pack, Charger Daytona Scat Pack or Durango SRT Hellcat model includes one day of performance driving instruction at Radford Racing School, the official Dodge//SRT high-performance driving school.

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news, including daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis (NYSE: STLA).

Mopar
Mopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.

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 more than 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.