Friday, Aug. 15 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)​

  • Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 4:30 p.m. CDT/5:30 p.m. EDT
  • Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 6:45 p.m. CDT/7:45 p.m. EDT

Saturday, Aug. 16 (Nitro Qualifying & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, streamed live on NHRA.TV)​

  • Top Fuel qualifying session (Q3) & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge – Round 1: 12 p.m. CDT/1 p.m. EDT
  • Funny Car qualifying session (Q3) & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge – Round 1: 12:35 p.m. CDT/1:35 p.m. EDT
  • Top Fuel qualifying session (Q4) & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge – Finals: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
  • Funny Car qualifying session (Q4) & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge – Finals: 3:05 p.m. CDT/4:05 p.m. EDT

Sunday, Aug. 17 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on NHRA.TV)​

  • Round 1: 10:30 a.m. CDT/11:30 a.m. EDT
  • Round 2: 12:40 p.m. CDT/1:40 p.m. EDT
  • Semi-Finals: 2:10 p.m. CDT/3:10 p.m. EDT
  • Finals: 3:50 p.m. CDT/4:50 p.m. EDT

TV coverage on FS1/FOX​

  • Friday, Aug. 15: Qualifying show (9 p.m. CDT/10 p.m. EDT on FS1)
  • Saturday, Aug. 16: Qualifying show (6 p.m. CDT/7 p.m. EDT on FS1)
  • Sunday, Aug. 17: Finals show (2 p.m. CDT/3 p.m. EDT on FOX)

Notes of Interest​

  • The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway serves as the 13th event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ 20-race calendar. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) brings its two full-time entries – one in Top Fuel for Tony Stewart and one in Funny Car for 53-time Funny Car winner and four-time champion Matt Hagan – to the second-to-last race of the regular season before the Countdown to the Championship begins Sept. 12-14 with the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
  • After the 14th and final regular-season event on Sept. 1 with the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the top-10 drivers in the standings in each of the four professional categories of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – qualify for the Countdown to the Championship. The top-10 drivers in each class then compete in the final, six-race playoffs to vie for the title. Coming into Brainerd, Stewart is second in the Top Fuel championship standings, 48 points behind leader Shawn Langdon. Hagan, meanwhile, is second in the Funny Car championship standings, 201 points behind leader Austin Prock.
  • American Rebel Beer is the primary sponsor of both Hagan and Stewart in Brainerd. American Rebel Beer was founded in April of 2024 by American Rebel CEO Andy Ross. American Rebel Beer is All Natural, Crisp, Clean and has a Bold Taste with a Lighter Feel. It does not use corn, rice or other sweeteners typically found in other mass-produced beers. American Rebel Beer is currently offered in 14 states (Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia), with additional states being announced soon. You can also find American Rebel in various legendary bars like Kid Rock’s, Tootsies, Honky Tony Central, and many others in the entertainment district in Nashville, as well as retail outlets, venues and music festivals throughout the United States. American Rebel Beer is America’s Patriotic, God-Fearing, Constitution-Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.
  • The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will serve as Stewart’s 33rd career Top Fuel start and his second at Brainerd. For Hagan, this will be his 365th career Funny Car start and his 16th at Brainerd.
  • Stewart is eyeing his first victory in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, as well as his first No. 1 qualifier at the event. In 2024, Stewart secured the No. 2 qualifying position and advanced to Round 2 of eliminations, where his 9.435 ET at 78.54 mph lost to Justin Ashley’s 3.763 ET at 328.30 mph. Stewart’s wife, Leah Pruett, is a two-time winner of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (2017 and 2019) and was runner-up to Antron Brown in her last appearance (2023).
  • Hagan has one win at Brainerd, which came in 2021. His run of 3.923 ET at 327.98 mph defeated Cruz Pedregon (3.935 ET at 324.83 mph). In 2024, Hagan advanced to the Finals, where his 5.615 ET at 129.77 mph (red light) lost to Blake Alexander’s 3.927 ET at 324.67 mph. Hagan also has four No. 1 qualifiers at Brainerd, which came in 2011 (4.101 ET at 303.57 mph), 2016 (3.822 ET at 333.82 mph), 2019 (3.890 ET at 328.46 mph) and 2022 (3.843 ET at 331.36 mph).
  • By advancing to the Semifinals at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Hagan qualified to participate in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Brainerd, where he will face a rematch against Austin Prock. The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will mark Hagan’s eighth #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season. Coming into Brainerd, Hagan has earned the most #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points in the Funny Car category with 14 points total. Those points are added to his total at the points reset leading into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
  • Hagan will participate in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty autograph session on Saturday at 9 a.m. CDT. The session will take place at the Mission Foods Display.
  • Hagan and Stewart will participate in Tony Stewart Store merchandise trailer signings. Stewart will be signing on Friday from 3:15-3:45 p.m. CDT and again on Saturday from 9:45-10:15 a.m. CDT. Hagan will be signing on Saturday from 5:30-6:00 p.m. CDT.

You’ll be participating in your eighth Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season at Brainerd. You have earned the most #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points in the Funny Car category with 14 points total. How valuable is that specialty event as we get ready to reset points after the next two events as the NHRA heads to Maple Grove, knowing they get added to your points total?​


“It’s incredible that we’ve gathered that many #2Fast2Tasty points. I figured with (Austin) Prock’s five wins that they would have the most. It just shows that even though we’ve been on the back side of some good drag races, we’ve been consistent. Hopefully that is changing for the better and we are peaking at the right time. The Mission Foods points add up and we can always use those once the points reset. We want to fight our way through it. (Mike) Knudsen (crew chief) has that first win under his belt and I think the confidence is growing. Our team has a lot of synergy and I’m excited about that. Moving forward, we’ll have more Wallys pile up. We’ve been showing the last couple races that we can be aggressive, earning a number one qualifier and advancing to two Finals. Everything takes time and we’re doing the things we need to be doing to grow as a team.”

American Rebel Beer has now expanded into 14 states, with more states being added soon. You and Tony Stewart will both be representing the brand at Brainerd. How special will that be, especially given the atmosphere at the track?​


“Andy Ross and all the folks from American Rebel are great. They’ve been very excited to be represented on the car the last couple years. Overall, they are salt of the earth people and good guys that are excited to be in drag racing. They’ve recently expanded to dirt racing, so it’s nice to see their involvement in motorsports. I would love nothing more than to win another championship with those guys. I think there will be a lot of American Rebel Beer drank in the Zoo at Brainerd. Andy will be playing for the FOX broadcast in the Zoo, so that’s huge. The weather is usually great there and we can lay down some fast numbers. I’m excited to get after it.”

The post Brainerd Advance for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.

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