• Matt Hagan returned to NHRA victory lane Sunday in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car with an impressive win at Seattle
  • Hagan, the four-time NHRA World Champion, recorded a string of strong runs in the NHRA Northwest Nationals to post his first 2025 NHRA Funny Car win
  • The Virginia driver collected his 53rd NHRA career victory with a series of 3.80 passes including a 3.861 and 3.879 during final eliminations in overcast skies at Pacific Raceways
  • After earlier round wins against Buddy Hull, Jack Beckman and Alexis DeJoria, Hagan left the starting line first over Ron Capps and notched a 3.904 to Capps’ 3.919 in the final
  • The final round matchup with his longtime rival Capps was his ninth win over the California racer in 15 NHRA showdowns and was his first NHRA triumph since Dallas last year
  • The victory moved Hagan into third in the current NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car points standings as the NHRA national tour heads to Sonoma Raceway on July 25-27
  • Hagan’s TSR teammate, team owner Tony Stewart, had his eight-race Top Fuel semifinals streak snapped with a quarterfinal loss to Seattle race winner Shawn Langdon
  • Stewart won the first round over Josh Hart with a “holeshot” win in his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster with a 3.751 to Hart’s 3.746
  • In the quarterfinals, Langdon clocked a 3.685 to Stewart’s slowing 4.817, as the NASCAR Hall of Famer’s nitro-burning dragster suffered a mechanical issue at half track
  • Stewart now ranks second in the NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel points standings, trailing Langdon’s 918 to Stewart’s 906 after 11 races in the 20-event NHRA drag racing series
  • Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

July 21, 2025, Auburn Hills, Mich. – Matt Hagan returned to the winner’s circle Sunday with his 12,000-horsepower Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car for his first 2025 victory at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, while TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Top Fuel.

Hagan, the popular four-time NHRA World Champion, notched his 53rd NHRA career win (all in Dodge//SRT Funny Cars) by defeating longtime rival Ron Capps in the final round at Pacific Raceways with a solid starting line advantage (0.054) and recorded a 3.904 to Capps’ 3.919. It was the 15th final round matchup for the two former World titleholders, with Hagan now winning nine races.

The win also moved Hagan into third in the current NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car points standings, just 26 behind second place Jack Beckman, as the NHRA tour now heads to Sonoma Raceway on July 25-27 for the annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

Hagan, working with new crew chiefs Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler in 2025, posted round wins over Buddy Hull, Beckman and Alexis DeJoria before facing Capps in the final round, as the Virginia racer was the class of the field with low elapsed times in the second round (3.861), third round (3.879) and the final round (3.904).

Hagan’s runner-up performance last month at Norwalk, Ohio, showed that his new crew chiefs were producing impressive runs with Hagan at the controls, and the Seattle win for Hagan and his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat squad now gives the NHRA Funny Car field a car to watch for heading into the NHRA “Countdown” playoffs starting in September.

“It has been a while since my last win, last year at Dallas,” said Hagan. “And I’m very happy for the whole team, especially Mike Knudsen, who took over as crew chief this year. We were on a learning curve with Mike as a new crew chief after many years working under Dickie Venables with our team. Dickie helped us win three World Championships and many race wins. And we feel that success will continue with Mike working with Phil Shuler (co-crew chief) and Alex Conaway (car chief). I want to thank Tony (Stewart, team owner) too, for bringing in a new guy to head his Funny Car team.

“I would have liked to have won earlier this year, but everyone was learning, and this win feels great. I think with a final round at Norwalk and a win at Seattle that we are definitely coming into our own with our TSR Dodge//SRT team. We are very happy to put Direct Connection back in the winner’s circle too. I have been with Dodge for some 18 years now and all my NHRA wins have come in a Dodge Funny Car. So, getting career win No. 53 is very special. It takes time to build that confidence in a new crew chief and a new team overall. But we have it now.”

Knudsen said his crew has been developing a strong unit to give Hagan a more competitive car as the season enters the final stages.

“We knew that the tide was turning in Norwalk,” said Knudsen. “Every run has built more confidence for our team as well as Matt, and we showed that today with our first 2025 win. Now, we feel we have a good combination heading to Sonoma this coming week. We hope this is just a start towards the ‘Countdown.’”

After eight consecutive semifinals finishes, including two NHRA Top Fuel victories (Las Vegas and Joliet), NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart had his streak snapped when he lost to eventual Seattle race winner Shawn Langdon in the quarterfinals. Langdon’s 3.685 pass bettered Stewart’s 4.817 when Stewart’s dragster had mechanical issues at halftrack.

Despite the loss, Stewart remains the only Top Fuel driver to capture a first-round victory in every NHRA national event this year with a “holeshot” win over Josh Hart in the opening round. Stewart’s quick reaction time off the starting line helped him take the win light with a 3.751 to Hart’s 3.746.

Stewart now ranks second in the current NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel standings with 906 points to Langdon’s 918 after 11 races in the 20-event campaign.

“There were highs and lows to the weekend,” Stewart said. “We had a good round one today. We knew if we made it to round two, that was going to be one of the biggest rounds of our season so far racing Shawn (Langdon). We had an unfortunate explosion again. It’s a part of racing and it’s going to happen in this sport. It’s just unfortunate it caught us two events in a row. We’ll rebound from it. We lost the points lead, but we’re only 12 points behind, which is only one round down. We’re still within striking distance. It’s hard to be disappointed. Every time I feel frustrated about it, I think about where we were this time last year. This was one of the lowest points of the season when we left Seattle. We’ll carry our heads high and just keep plugging away at it.”

Sweden’s Ida Zetterström made her return to NHRA Mission Top Fuel action at the Northwest Nationals in the JCM/Dodge//SRT dragster after a layoff and qualified tenth. Unfortunately, the former FIA European Top Fuel champion competed against former NHRA world champion Brittany Force and lost in the first round with a 3.752 to Force’s 3.696.

“It was a tough weekend for us,” remarked Zetterström. “I had the best reaction times I’ve had in a while throughout qualifying, so I felt really confident about that. I wish I could have left on a higher note in terms of my performance, but Brittany’s run was tough to beat. I’m happy we got that A-to-B pass, so we have a foundation to work from when we get to Sonoma. I think I’ve shown that I can do it. It’s about getting everything to come together. People don’t realize how many small things go into it behind the scenes.”

The nitro action returns this week with the NHRA Sonoma Nationals as qualifying begins Friday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. PDT, followed by Saturday’s qualifying sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. PDT. The final eliminations will begin on Sunday, July 27, at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

The NHRA Denso Sonoma Nationals telecast will get underway on Sunday, July 27, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT on the Fox Sports 1 Network.

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 2025 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 gas engine 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 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

The post Hagan Scores Funny Car Title in TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat at NHRA Northwest Nationals, Stewart’s Top Fuel Semifinals Streak Snapped appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.

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