• Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan drove their Dodge//SRT nitro-burning machines to the final rounds in Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, respectively
• Stewart, coming off his first NHRA Top Fuel win two weeks ago, piloted the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster to his third-straight final round Sunday in Charlotte
• Qualifying eighth at the NHRA Four Wide Nationals, Stewart reached another final, following up on final-round appearances at Pomona and Las Vegas
• Final-round showing in Charlotte moves Stewart to second in the NHRA Top Fuel points
• Four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion Hagan made his second consecutive final round in the TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat at zMAX Dragway
• Hagan, the defending Four-Wide Nationals winner at Charlotte, scored wins in the first round over Paul Lee, Dave Richards and Bobby Bode
• In round two, Hagan defeated Alexis DeJoria, Chad Green and Richards with a solid 3.962 to advance to the final against Austin Prock, Ron Capps and DeJoria where he placed third
• In the final, Hagan's 3.939 wasn't enough for the win, but the Virginia driver now moves to second in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points
Sweden's Ida Zetterström returned to NHRA Top Fuel action in Charlotte with her JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT dragster and just missed advancing to the semifinals with a 3.753
• Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com
Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan piloted their 11,000-horsepower, nitro-burning Dodge//SRT racecars to the final round again Sunday in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
Coming off his first NHRA Top Fuel national win two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Stewart was seeking back-to-back triumphs in the unique four-wide racing format, and the NASCAR Hall of Famer came close to another victory in his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster when he advanced to the Top Fuel final round against Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and current World Champion Antron Brown.
Qualifying eighth in the 16-car field, the former NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion upset No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round on a 'holeshot' starting line advantage with his 3.779 run, and Stewart returned in round two with a 3.760 to move to his third consecutive final round.
Prior to his win in Las Vegas, Stewart recorded a runner-up finish at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., last month.
In the final, the driver known as 'Smoke' ran right with the leaders, only to get nipped at the finish line by Langdon and Ashley, recording a 3.792 pass. Despite the third-place finish in the four-wide final, Stewart currently ranks second in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings entering the next event at Joliet, Ill., on May 16-18.
'It's hard to be disappointed after we've made it to the finals for three races in a row,' said Stewart. 'Like I said after Vegas, we still have a lot of work to do and today showed that. After the win at Vegas, everyone took a deep breath and got the monkey off our back. At the same time, it feels like we kind of open ourselves up to some mistakes. We had a tough team meeting, but to get to the finals again, it's a good situation to be in.
'We just have to make sure we stay focused and don't let little issues creep in. We're five races into the season and we've made it past the first round all five races. We're leaving Charlotte second in points. It's not where I thought we'd be at this point in the year, so I'm very pleased. It was a fun weekend for Dodge and American Rebel Light. I'm glad we could get both cars in the finals. It's something to be proud of for TSR.'
Hagan, the four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion, entered the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals as the defending Funny Car champion, and the Virginia racer looked to be on his way to another victory Sunday in his TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat.
Like Stewart, Hagan qualified eighth at Charlotte and was strong in the opening rounds as crew chiefs Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler and their crew had Hagan winning the first round over No. 1 qualifier Paul Lee, Dave Richards and Bobby Bode with a strong 3.939. Then, in round two, Hagan's 3.962 easily bested Alexis DeJoria, Chad Green and Richards.
Entering his second consecutive final round, Hagan went up against former World Champions Austin Prock and Ron Capps, as well as DeJoria. However, Hagan's 3.939 wasn't enough to match race winner Prock's 3.870 and Capps' 3.920.
With the final round appearance Sunday at Charlotte, Hagan now moves to second in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points heading to the Route 66 NHRA Nationals, round six in the 20-race NHRA national campaign, on May 16-18.
'I'm happy we were able to go rounds today and put on a good show for everyone,' said Hagan. 'We went down the racetrack every run this weekend. We have new crew chiefs (Knudsen and Shuler – co-crew chiefs). It's no different than seat time for a driver. You get better after 20 years. The crew chiefs get better by making more calls on the racetrack. It's a very competitive field and we just needed a little more out there. I'm confident in our guys and they're doing a great job. I'm feeling good about the races we have coming up. We'll be in Chicago next, and we've won that one four times, including last year's race.'
After a break from the NHRA Mission tour, Sweden's Ida Zetterström returned to Top Fuel action in Charlotte with her JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT dragster and ran consistently in the 3.70 range during the weekend. The FIA European Top Fuel champion just missed advancing to the semifinals with a 3.753 in the first round.
The upcoming Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill,, has nitro qualifying scheduled for Friday, May 16, at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. CDT. Saturday's qualifying sessions begin at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CDT with final eliminations getting underway for 10:30 a.m. CDT, Sunday, May 18.
The Route 66 NHRA Nationals final eliminations will be shown on Fox Sports 1 will begin on Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. EDT.
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 2025 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 gas engine 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.
Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at www.blog.mopar.com.
Photo credit: Dodge posted on conceptcarz.com
