April 3, 2023 , Pomona, Calif. – Matt Hagan proved to be the most consistent Funny Car driver Sunday at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip when he drove the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Haas Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to victory in the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals, the third race of the 21-event NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
Hagan, winner of the season opener at Gainesville, Florida, came from his 10th starting position to clock runs of 3.929, 3.950, 3.955 and 3.967 in defeating defending Funny Car World Champion Ron Capps in the final round.
The victory was Hagan’s fourth Winternationals title and 45th NHRA career triumph, currently ranking fourth all-time Funny Car wins behind John Force, Capps and Robert Hight.
Hagan’s win moved the Dodge//SRT Mopar racer to the top of the current NHRA Funny Car point standings with 277 to Capps’ 251 as the NHRA Camping World tour heads to the Four-Wide Nationals on April 14-16 in Las Vegas, NV.
“Matt Hagan and his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team continues to show the winning ways in the very tough NHRA Funny Car class with his second 2023 victory this weekend at the prestigious Winternationals,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand CEO – Stellantis. “We congratulate Matt and his crew for another stellar performance with his potent Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat machine. It just shows the commitment from the team that continues to our Dodge lineup of vehicles and Direct Connection performance parts.”
Hagan gave the credit for the win to his TSR crew after struggling a bit in qualifying, but he knew the car could be a factor in eliminations.
“It’s been a wonderful weekend,” said Hagan. “The right lane was giving us a tough time all weekend and it was a handful. For (crew chief) Dickie Venable, (co-crew chief) Mike Knudsen, (car chief) Alex Conaway and all of the guys wrenching on my car, I’m so thankful for them. They always find a way to put a great race car underneath me. I try to rise to the occasion when I can and turn on the win lights. It’s a great day when you can move up from being the No. 10 qualifier and win the race. I’m always glad to have Dickie in our corner. At the end of the day, I’m really proud of our guys.”
Leah Pruett, Hagan’s TSR teammate in the Top Fuel category, qualified third in the Rinnai dragster Saturday, but lost in the first round of eliminations Sunday at the Pomona Dragstrip.
In qualifying, Cruz Pedregon, recent Pomona Dragstrip winner in November at the NHRA World Finals, continued his strong performance by capturing the Top Qualifier Award in the Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with a 3.865 run. Pedregon advanced to the second round in eliminations, as did young Alex Laughlin with the Jim Dunn “Moon Eyes” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcast.
The Dodge//SRT Mopar competitors move to Las Vegas for the next round of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series on April 14-16 in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
@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 Camping World 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 more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.
Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and 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. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.
In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
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
This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar, 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 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.
Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:
Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Mopar brand: www.mopar.com
Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/mopar
Instagram: @DodgeMoparMotorsports, @DodgeOfficial and @OfficialMopar
Twitter: @Dodge, @OfficialMopar and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA