October 14, 2024 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – Matt Hagan, the reigning NHRA Funny Car World Champion, fought through a tough field Sunday to capture his 52nd NHRA career victory at the wheel of his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat in the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals, while TSR teammate Tony Stewart exited in a first-round loss in the Top Fuel division.
Hagan, the 41-year-old driver from Christiansburg, Virginia, enjoyed a stellar weekend at the Texas Motorplex by scoring his second consecutive Texas Fall Nationals win and fifth overall at the concrete-surfaced drag strip south of the Dallas Metroplex. In addition, the four-time NHRA World Champion recorded his quickest elapsed time of the year with a 3.823 in qualifying for the No. 2 starting position in the 16-car field.
The Texas Fall Nationals triumph was his third NHRA national event win of the 2024 tour with earlier victories at Charlotte (April) and Joliet (May), and Hagan’s 98th career NHRA final round appearance, all in Dodge//SRT racecars.
In Sunday’s final round, Hagan took on former World Champion Ron Capps in a day of tough conditions that reached 95 degrees and a nearly 130-degree track surface, but the Dickie Venables-led TSR crew fought through the heat issues. Hagan, one of the best Funny Car reaction time drivers, proved his talent again with a “holeshot” victory over Capps, cutting a 0.064 light to a 0.084.
At the finish line, it was Hagan’s 3.943 bettering Capps’ 3.934 to claim the fifth Texas NHRA “Wally” trophy (2010, 2015, 2019, 2023-2024). In the earlier rounds, Hagan defeated Bobby Bode, Cruz Pedregon and Daniel Wilkerson to advance to the final round.
The win for Hagan moved him back in the third position in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings with two races remaining in the 20-event NHRA Mission national series at Las Vegas (Nov. 1-3) and Pomona, California (Nov. 14-17).
“This win was really special,” said Hagan. “We’re always building great relationships with our partners, and we have really great partners with Dodge//SRT in our Hellcat Funny Car. I’ve been with them almost 15 years and won four championships with them. We had JHG on the car and had Andy Ross from American Rebel at the race.
“I love (Ron) Capps, but I was ready to take him out before the final. I’m just like ‘Let’s Go.’ You feel like you’re going in like a gladiator. This is kind of like rodeo stuff. You get in this crazy machine, and you never know what it’s going to do. We have a great crew, and they did a super job this weekend to get this win. Life is about people and those relationships are what really matter.”
In Top Fuel action, NASCAR Hall of Fame racer Tony Stewart continued his professional rookie Top Fuel campaign in the TSR Mobil1 Dodge//SRT dragster, but Stewart lost in the first round Sunday against veteran Shawn Reed with a 3.817 to Reed’s 3.753.
Stewart, the NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion, currently ranks tenth in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings with the final two races set for next month.
“This was a very challenging weekend, to say the least,” said Stewart. “We shouldn’t have put ourselves in the position of needing to qualify for the event in qualifying session No. 4. It left us in a tough spot in round one of eliminations. I’m really proud of Matt Hagan and the JHG Dodge//SRT crew for getting the win today. We will look ahead to Las Vegas now.”
Another Top Fuel rookie was in competition at the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals, as Sweden’s Ida Zetterström, the 2023 FIA World Top Fuel Champion, piloted her JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT against JCM Racing teammate Tony Schumacher in the opening round of eliminations. Schumacher bested his teammate with a 3.801 to a 4.082.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will feature nitro action with qualifying rounds on Friday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. PDT and 3:30 p.m. PDT with additional qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. PDT and 3:30 p.m. PDT. Final eliminations will be on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m. PST.
Fox Sports 1 television coverage of the Las Vegas event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 1, with the final eliminations being shown at 5 p.m. EST.
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.
Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at www.blog.mopar.com.
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