Hagan Posts Top Qualifying Spot, Advances to NHRA Charlotte Final in TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car

• Reigning NHRA Funny Car Champion Matt Hagan looked to be back in solid form at the NHRA Carolina Nationals with his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Hellcat

•The four-time world titleholder came out strong at zMAX Dragway by posting the No. 1 qualifying position with a season-best 3.832, but lost a close final round to Austin Prock

•In the final round, Hagan had a quicker reaction time (.051 to .070) over Prock, but his 3.958 run wasn't enough to top his rival's 3.924, losing by just a few feet at the finish

•Hagan's final round finish moved him to fourth in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings entering the NHRA Gateway Nationals near St. Louis on Sept. 27-29

•Hagan's teammate, Tony Stewart, was seeking to match his prior Charlotte oval track win with his first Top Fuel event win in the TSR Dodge//SRT dragster

•Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver, looked to upset defending NHRA World Champion Doug Kalitta Sunday in the first round, but his Top Fuel lost traction at half-track

•Sweden's Ida Zetterström, driving the JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster, just missed winning in the first round against former champion Brittany Force in a traction battle

•Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

Defending NHRA Mission Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan, seeking his second straight zMAX Dragway victory, drove his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat to a final-round finish Sunday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, while TSR teammate Tony Stewart exited early in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations.

Hagan, who captured the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals event win in Charlotte last April, and his championship-winning TSR crew had their nitro-burning Dodge//SRT Hellcat machine running strong all weekend with qualifying runs of 3.832 (season best) and 3.865 to secure the No. 1 starting spot entering Sunday's final eliminations. It was Hagan's second top-qualifying position of the season after claiming the No. 1 spot at Pomona in March.

The four-time NHRA world champion scored round victories against Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III before facing current NHRA Mission Funny Car points leader Austin Prock in the final round in very hot, humid weather conditions with track temperatures close to 130 degrees. It was Hagan's 92nd career final round appearance in the Funny Car category.

In the final matchup, Hagan took an advantage over Prock at the starting line with a .051 second reaction light to Austin's .070 and held the margin slightly before Prock's mount nipped Hagan by a few feet at the finish line. Hagan recorded a 3.958 to Prock's 3.94 to settle for the runner-up position. The second-place finish moved Hagan to fourth in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the series heads to the NHRA Gateway Nationals this weekend, Sept. 27-29, near St. Louis.

'It was a good weekend for the TSR JHG Dodge team,' said Hagan. 'We were trying really, really hard to get that win. The win is coming. It's just a matter of time with how hard this group works behind the scenes. I would have liked to have pulled the car in the winner's circle, but we will get there.

'Overall, it was a good, healing moment for our guys. It's been a while since we had an opportunity to try and win one. I'm proud of my TSR crew guys. They put a great racecar underneath me. The car is responding to what they are asking it to do. It looks like we have a hot rod, so we will roll into St. Louis with some confidence. We want to win against St. Louis.'

Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner and driver in his Top Fuel rookie campaign, came back to Charlotte seeking to match his oval track win performance with a Top Fuel victory at the drag strip next to the 1.5-mile oval. But the racing legend had to settle for a tough first round battle against reigning Top Fuel World Champion Doug Kalitta.

The man known as 'Smoke' ran side-by-side with Kalitta until half-track when his TSR Dodge//SRT Top Fueler hazed the tires. Despite the opening round defeat, Stewart remains eighth in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings with four races remaining on the 20-event national tour at St. Louis, Dallas, Las Vegas and Pomona.

'This just wasn't our weekend,' said Stewart. 'We qualified 14th, and the car didn't make it down the track during the money run on Friday night. It was on pace to be a top five run, and it didn't make it. It wasn't what cost us the first-round loss today, but we had a very uncommon error. And we addressed it. We are one team, all team and all of the guys rallied around what happened. It's not the way we wanted to leave Charlotte, especially with having so many friends, NASCAR team members and former teammates out here. We wanted to have a good showing in front of all those people, and it just wasn't meant to be. Now, we'll head to St. Louis for another strong weekend.'

Sweden's Ida Zetterström, in just her fourth NHRA professional event, fought a traction issue in the hot conditions with her JCM Racing/Dodge Top Fuel dragster against former NHRA world champion Brittany Force in the first round and failed to advance Sunday.

'We made it down the track on Saturday night in really hot and tricky conditions, and we ran the quickest pass of the left lane,' said Zetterström. 'It was another hot one again today. I did feel like we had a good chance going into first round and we were actually ahead for a good part of the race but as I spun the tires, my car shut off, so I never really had the opportunity to 'pedal' the throttle. I heard Brittany 'pedal' her car and I could hear that she was behind me. This would have been an opportunity for me to have my first NHRA 'pedalfest,' but we'll have to save that for another time.'

The NHRA Gateway Nationals are the third event in the six-race NHRA 'Countdown' and nitro qualifying begins this Friday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m. CDT and 8 p.m. CDT, followed by Saturday, Sept. 28, qualifying at 1 p.m. CDT and 3:30 p.m. CDT. Final eliminations at World Wide Technology Raceway are scheduled for 11 a.m. CDT on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Fox Sports 1 coverage of the NHRA Gateway Nationals will be televised on Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. EDT with early qualifying rounds, and the final eliminations will be aired on FS1 at 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Direct Connection

The Direct Connection portfolio, available online and through the Dodge Power Brokers dealer network, includes modern performance, crate engine, race and vintage muscle high-performance products for Dodge performance vehicles, offering factory street, strip and track performance parts developed by SRT engineers and backed by a Mopar® warranty for peace of mind.

Performance enthusiasts and racers can access the Direct Connection hotline at (800) 998-1110 for technical and race support. More information on Direct Connection and Dodge Power Brokers is available at DCPerformance.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//SRT

For 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge, America's performance brand, shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

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.

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Photo credit: Dodge
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