• Matt Hagan, four-time NHRA world champion, continues quest for a fifth title Sunday driving his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) American Rebel Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat to victory
  • After a runner-up finish last Sunday at Charlotte, Hagan recorded his 54th career NHRA Funny Car win with an impressive barrage of 3.90 runs at the NHRA Midwest Nationals
  • Hagan’s dominating victory moved him within 20 points of Funny Car leader Austin Prock with three races remaining in the 20-event NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series
  • In Sunday’s final round, Hagan posted a sensational 0.040 reaction time against Jack Beckman and won the race with a 3.979 to Beckman’s 4.032 for his second 2025 win
  • Hagan, who qualified second at 3.868, was the only Funny Car driver to record 3.90s in all four elimination rounds with wins over Alex Laughlin, Cruz Pedregon and Daniel Wilkerson
  • Hagan now moves to the NHRA Fallnationals next month (Oct. 10-12) at the Texas Motorplex, a track the Virginia driver has won at five times, including the last two years
  • Tony Stewart, Hagan’s legendary teammate, had a short day with a first-round loss to Sweden’s Ida Zetterström in the TSR American Rebel Beer Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster
  • Stewart, who qualified third in the Top Fuel field, remains fourth in the current NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings after winning the NHRA regular season championship
  • Zetterström, the 2023 FIA Top Fuel champion, advanced to her first NHRA final round Sunday in the JCM/Dodge//SRT Top Fueler against former world champion Doug Kalitta
  • She took wins over Stewart, Kurt Wurtzel and Antron Brown before putting in a great reaction time in the final against Kalitta, but her dragster hazed the rear tires at half-track
  • Veteran Mark Pawuk clinched his second consecutive Factory Stock Showdown world championship Sunday with a first-round victory in his Empaco Dodge//SRT Drag Pak
  • Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

September 29, 2025 Auburn Hills, Mich. – Matt Hagan, the four-time NHRA World Champion, continued his trek to a fifth Funny Car championship Sunday by driving the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT Hellcat to his 54th career NHRA national event victory at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, while his TSR teammate Tony Stewart lost in the first round of eliminations.

After placing runner-up last Sunday at Charlotte, Hagan and his American Rebel Light Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat looked strong immediately with a spectacular 3.868 qualifying pass on Friday to take the second position in the 16-driver field at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, which enjoyed several sold-out crowds during the three-day NHRA national event.

The Virginia driver then ripped off 3.90s in each of the four rounds of eliminations to score his second 2025 NHRA victory after taking top honors at the Seattle event. The victory moved Hagan within 20 points of leader Austin Prock with three races remaining in the 20-event national tour.

A fifth world title for Hagan would vault him into NHRA drag racing lore by passing legends Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein, who each collected four NHRA Funny Car crowns during their careers. Only John Force, with 16 championships, has more than Hagan, Prudhomme and Bernstein in the Funny Car division.

In the final round, Hagan’s nitro-burning machine recorded a 3.979 to Jack Beckman’s 4.032 after Hagan took out Alex Laughlin with a 3.964 pass, Cruz Pedregon with a 3.988 and Daniel Wilkerson with a 3.990 in earlier rounds.

“I was looking forward to shaving the mustache, but it looks like we have to keep it now with the win,” said Hagan. “We knew coming into this race that we were all chasing Austin (Prock). He’s won eight races this year, but no one is infallible. We had to be ready if they messed up. Mike Knudsen (crew chief), Phil Shuler (co-crew chief), Alex Conaway (car chief) and all of my guys worked so hard all day. The right lane was bumpy, and they navigated those bumps really well. I felt good about the racecar.

“My lights came around and that gave me confidence going into the next couple rounds. That’s the stuff that makes you a strong team. It is great to have outstanding sponsors like American Rebel Light, Dodge//SRT, Direct Connection and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage. I wake up some days and pinch myself that this is my job. We’re back in this hunt for the championship.”

Tony Stewart, Hagan’s TSR and the NHRA Top Fuel regular season champion, had an early exit in eliminations Sunday with his American Rebel Beer Light Dodge//SRT dragster when he lost to Sweden’s Ida Zetterström in the first round. Despite the early loss, Stewart remains fourth in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings entering the next event, the NHRA Fallnationals, near Dallas on October 10-12.

“Today obviously didn’t go the way we were wanting it to,” said Stewart. “We needed to capitalize on points with three races remaining after this in the Countdown to the Championship. I’m proud of my .026-second reaction time against Ida (Zetterström), but she got lucky on the tree with a triple zero (.000) light. We had a hole out at the start of the run, so we weren’t able to catch her. We’ll look ahead to Dallas in a couple weeks and look to gain more points back there.”

Zetterström, the 2023 FIA Top Fuel champion from Sweden, advanced to her first NHRA final round Sunday with strong runs against Stewart at 3.801, Kurt Wurtzel at 3.802 and Antron Brown at 3.925. In the final, Zetterström took a starting line advantage over Doug Kalitta, but her dragster lost traction at half- track.

“We gave it our all and put up a good fight,” said Zetterström. “Obviously, we were trying to go a little faster so we could beat Doug. It’s very frustrating when you’re in the car and you see your opponent pulling away. I’m such a bad loser, so I was sad when I got to the top end. But, overall, I’m really proud of all that this team has accomplished this weekend. I feel like we’ve shown this weekend that we can be a contender and run with anyone.”

For the second consecutive season, veteran Mark “Cowboy” Pawuk captured the tough Factory Stock Showdown world championship with his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. Pawuk’s first round win over Josh Hart clinched the title for the Ohio racer.

The NHRA Fallnationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas will get underway on Friday, Oct. 10, with two nitro qualifying rounds scheduled for 5:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. CDT, Saturday’s qualifying sessions are set for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CDT, with final eliminations on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 10 a.m. CDT. The FOX Network will televise Sunday’s eliminations at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT.

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

For 111 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 its segments.

The new, next-generation Dodge Charger multi-energy lineup is led by the 670-horsepower Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack – the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car. For 2026, the all-new 550-horsepower Dodge Charger Scat Pack, powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo SIXPACK H.O. engine, expands the Charger lineup, powered by the most powerful Hurricane engine in production.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the pedal as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful gas engine SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact-utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

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 88 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 Mopar blog at blog.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.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

The post Hagan Drives TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car to 54th Career Win and Closes on Points Lead at NHRA Midwest Nationals, Stewart Exits Early appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.

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