June 11, 2023 , Bristol, Tenn. – The TSR Nitro squad recorded the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifying position for the first time in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series at Bristol Dragway when Leah Pruett topped the 16-driver starting lineup with her TSR Rush Truck Services/Dodge//SRT dragster for Sunday’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The NHRA weekend at Bristol was unique as it served as a doubleheader event with the rained-out Epping, New Hampshire, eliminations being contested, as well as the Thunder Valley Nationals. The Bristol eliminations were also delayed Sunday due to rain.
Pruett, ranked in the top four in the NHRA Top Fuel points entering the Bristol event, advanced to the second round in the Epping eliminations with the weekend’s best run of 3.745 at 322.42 mph. Leah defeated Doug Kalitta in the opening before losing to Mike Salinas in round two with a 3.894 to Salinas’s 3.848.
In the Bristol elimination rounds, Pruett lost a close race in the first round to Spencer Massey with a 3.824 to Massey’s 3.781. Despite the Bristol loss, Pruett remains in the top five in the Top Fuel standings entering the next event, Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, at Norwalk, Ohio.
“This No. 1 (qualifying position) is just a testament to the consistency that this team has had all season long,” said Pruett. “It’s the culmination of our performance that has led up to this spot. There is nothing like racing on Sunday and racing in Thunder Valley. We got the highs and the lows and the emotions of racing in qualifying. You get the echo of the cars here in Thunder Valley.
“It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to take our Rush Truck Centers/Dodge//SRT dragster further into eliminations. Sometimes you’re the window, sometimes you’re the bug and we’ve been the bug lately. Every round is pretty much a UFC match, whether the people we race are full-time or part-time.”
Matt Hagan, the three-time 2023 national event winner, advanced to the second round in the Epping eliminations with his TSR Operation Healing Forces Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car after an opening round win over Terry Haddock. Hagan lost to J.R. Todd in the second round Saturday.
On Sunday, Hagan, from nearby Christiansburg, Virginia, took the victory in Bristol eliminations round one with a victory over Mike McIntire Jr., at 4.021. In the second round, Hagan lost a close battle with rival Robert Hight with a 3.952 to Hight’s 3.913.
“It looks like we’re struggling a little bit right now, but we’re actually making really good progress in preparation for the summer months and once we get into the countdown,” said Hagan, who now sits second in NHRA Funny Car points. “We have gathered a lot of great data this season and continue to do so in the heat. We just have to keep working at it, but we’re moving in the right direction. I have full confidence in Dickie (Venables – crew chief), Mike (Knudsen – co-crew chief), Alex (Conaway – car chief) and all of my guys. They’re working extremely hard, and I know we will get back after it in Norwalk.”
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing tour moves to Norwalk, Ohio, on June 23-25 in the popular Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk Motorsports Park.
@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