April 29, 2024 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – Reigning NHRA Mission Funny Car Champion Matt Hagan made drag racing history Sunday when he scored his 50th NHRA career victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car.
The four-time NHRA Funny Car titleholder passed the legendary Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in NHRA career victories with an impressive “holeshot” win in the final round over a strong lineup of John Force, J.R. Todd and Daniel Wilkerson with a 3.946 run at 332.34 mph. Hagan’s spectacular reaction time of 0.029 was the difference Sunday in scoring his first 2024 NHRA national event title.
It was the fourth NHRA win for Hagan at a drag strip he considers his “home track” after taking national wins in 2011, 2013 and 2014 at the popular zMAX Dragway. The Virginia racer advanced in the first round with a 3.918 over David Richards, Austin Prock and Blake Alexander, and then won the semifinals over Wilkerson, Bob Tasca III and Richards with a 3.879 at 334.24 mph, his top speed of the year.
Hagan, who recorded the first sub-four-second run in NHRA Funny Car history at zMAX Dragway in 2011 in a Dodge Charger, moves to third in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the NHRA national tour moves to the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, on May 17-19. Sunday’s win was Hagan’s eleventh with Tony Stewart Racing, recorded from 2022 to 2024.
“This is a massive achievement to win 50 NHRA national events,” said Hagan. “It’s great to have Dodge with us in the winner’s circle for so many years. It’s so special to be around a great group of guys at Tony Stewart Racing. We have had the same crew for three straight years. Great people make the difference between winning and losing and this team is so strong and consistent. Dickie (Venables, crew chief), Mike Knudson, Alex Conaway and the whole team work so hard to give me a great racecar. It’s always fun to put this Dodge//SRT Hellcat in the winner’s circle.
“This 50th win just passed a legend in Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in career wins and to have four NHRA Funny Car championships with the likes of John Force, ‘Snake’ and Kenny Bernstein. I’m so honored to be with that group. This track is just two hours from my home in Virginia, so this is a home track for me. Winning four NHRA races at the zMAX Dragway in my career is special too. I have so many fans here. I actually think I outsold Tony (Stewart) in T-shirts this weekend. So, right now, we might not be the fastest car, but the crew can really race on Sundays and showed it again today. I never dreamed I would race a Funny Car, let alone win 50 races at the NHRA national level. So, it’s amazing.”
Hagan’s teammate, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart, drove the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster to the semifinals at zMAX Dragway Sunday after recording his quickest elapsed time in qualifying at 3.713 seconds. Stewart advanced to the semifinals by transferring out of the first round of eliminations with eventual race winner Justin Ashley and taking on Ashley and former World Champions Antron Brown and Brittany Force.
Stewart, in just his fifth Top Fuel race, had the quickest reaction time (0.047) at the starting line over his competition, but his 11,000-horsepower, nitro-burning dragster lost traction at half-track and he had to shut down his mount’s powerplant.
“I love the Four-Wide events,” said Stewart after the event. “Obviously, you want to make the final round and contend for a win. But we had our best qualifying run of the season (3.713). Then, in the semifinals, you have to race three of the toughest drivers in the business, and I left on all three of them. To leave on an honest light and have a great light, I’m very proud of that in my rookie year in Top Fuel. Overall, my lights were better than at Las Vegas, and I feel I’m learning with each race. And our team is gaining momentum with this Top Fuel car. I’m happy and proud of the progress of this team overall. I was extremely excited about having Matt in the final round and then win the race. It’s his 50th career NHRA Funny Car win. I’m so proud of Dickie (Venables, crew chief) and all of the Funny Car team as well. The competition in NHRA is tough and winning here in Charlotte with friends and family is special.”
Next month’s Joliet, Illinois, NHRA contest, the sixth race of the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series, will feature the Nitro qualifying rounds scheduled for Friday, May 17, at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s Nitro qualifying sessions will get underway at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. CDT. Sunday’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals eliminations are set for Sunday, May 19, at 11 a.m. CDT. The final eliminations will be televised on Sunday, May 19, at 4 p.m. EDT and 10 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1.
@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 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.
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
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.
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