- TSR Dodge drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan continued their title runs in the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series Sunday with semifinal finishes in the NHRA Route 66 Nationals
- Changing weather conditions made Sunday’s final eliminations difficult with the humid and windy air, but Pruett and Hagan remain in the top three in the current point standings
- Pruett, the popular Top Fuel racer from Arizona, qualified sixth and defeated Clay Millican in the opening round and Will Smith in the second round with her nitro-burning TSR Dodge dragster
- In the semifinals, Pruett’s 12,000-horsepower Top Fueler lost traction against former world champion Antron Brown, but Pruett stays third in NHRA points
- Pruett’s TSR teammate, Hagan, qualified his Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car in the ninth position in the 16-car field and defeated Blake Alexander and No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman
- Hagan, the four-time world champion, took on Alexis DeJoria in the semifinals and jumped to a starting line advantage, but his 4.061 wasn’t good enough against DeJoria’s 4.006
- Despite the loss, Hagan continued to close in on the NHRA Funny Car points lead with a tough four races in five weeks in June including Maryland, New Hampshire, Bristol and Norwalk
- TSR team owner Tony Stewart, driving in Top Fuel, qualified fifth and defeated former world champion Tony Schumacher in the first round, but lost to Josh Hart in the quarterfinals
May 18, 2026, Auburn Hills, Mich. – Moving into the heart of the 2026 NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge nitro drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan had their sights on the tough Route 66 Raceway drag strip and scoring another coveted win, but the two veteran racers had to settle for semifinals finishes in humid and windy track conditions Sunday in the annual NHRA Route 66 Nationals.
With five races in seven weeks, valuable points were on the line at the Joliet racing dragstrip as the two TSR Dodge competitors seek the NHRA world championships in the Top Fuel (Pruett) and Funny Car (Hagan) divisions.
The Route 66 Nationals was the first race of the five events set for late May and all of June and Pruett and Hagan knew a win would vault their championship chances. The next NHRA events include Budd’s Creek, Md. (May 29-31), Epping, N.H. (June 5-7), Bristol, Tenn. (June 12-14), and Norwalk, Ohio (June 26-28).
Pruett, the popular Arizona racer who returned to NHRA Top Fuel action this year after a two-year layoff due to the birth of her son, Dominic, let husband Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, drive her dragster in 2024 and 2025 in which Tony drove to the NHRA Top Fuel regular season title.
But Pruett’s return has already paid dividends as the 36-year-old driver scored a runner-up finish (Arizona) and ranks third in the current NHRA Mission Top Fuel points. On Sunday, Leah defeated Clay Millican in round one and Will Smith in round two.
In the semifinals, Pruett took on former world champion Antron Brown, but her TSR Dodge dragster lost traction and Brown advanced to the final round. Despite the defeat, Pruett remains third in the Top Fuel standings, just ahead of her husband, as the national tour heads to Maryland on May 29-31 for the NHRA Potomac Nationals.
“I think it’s another strong start for the team,” said Pruett. “We’re working on a package for later in the season, and we’re slowly rolling it out. We all know I’ve been working on my lights, and we’re a team that builds momentum together. I’m having a feel for the car, and it’s smoking the tires in different spots when the track has made me very sensitive.
“But I was extra sensitive to smoking the tires and I pedaled it (throttle), and (the) throttle cable broke, and couldn’t complete the run. So that semifinal finish is 100% on me. I thought I was catching it quickly. It’s always difficult to look guys in the eyes on a loss. We’re finding out with our new package, how to address it, and at different parts of the track. Sometimes there’s hiccups in our plan. That’s why robots don’t drive these cars. But we had a great points weekend.”
Hagan, the Virginia driver who won the coveted 1,000th NHRA Funny Car race last month, qualified ninth in the 16-car Funny Car lineup, but he immediately established himself as a contender with wins over Blake Alexander in the first round with a 3.950, and former world champion Jack Beckman in round two with a 4.026 run. In the semifinals, Hagan missed out on lance choice against Alexis DeJoria.
Hagan jumped to a starting line advantage with a solid reaction time, and it was DeJoria who had to fight back right at the finish line for the win. Hagan recorded a 4.061 to DeJoria’s 4.006. Importantly for Hagan, the semifinal finish moves him closer to the NHRA Funny Car points lead.
“We struggled a little bit in qualifying, knocking the tires off two of the qualifying rounds,” said Hagan. “But one thing I’ll say about Mike [Knudsen] is he adapts well. I was kind of patting him on the back about the adaptability, coming out here in the first round, and not knocking the tires off and going down the racetrack. Unfortunately, in the semifinals, it just had a hole (cylinder) out. That being said, I’m still having fun driving.
“At the end of the day, that’s why these Funny Cars are fun to drive. The guys did really good as far as adapting to the situation, the racetrack. Anytime we go some rounds, it’s always great. I think at least we kept close to the top of the points. We just have to keep that positive momentum and that thought process moving forward. We got a good group and Mike’s had 15 years under Dickie [Venables] (former crew chief), but he’s still learning. I think he’s doing a tremendous job and Phil [Shuler] and Alex [Conaway], they all work great together. Obviously, we want to put this Dodge in the winners circle, but there’s a lot more racing to do.”
TSR team owner Tony Stewart, the 2025 NHRA Top Fuel regular season champion, drove his Elite Motorsports Top Fuel dragster to a quarterfinals showing Sunday after a first-round win against eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher. In the second round, Stewart’s nitro machine lost traction and Josh Hart took the victory.
The next NHRA national event, the JEGS Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, will have Pruett and Hagan in nitro action beginning on Friday, May 29, with qualifying at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. EDT, with Saturday’s action set for 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. EDT. Final eliminations are set for 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, May 31. The Fox Network broadcast will be telecast at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.
For more information on NHRA, visit NHRA.com.
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The post Pruett, Hagan Battle to NHRA Route 66 Nationals Semifinals in TSR Dodge Nitro Cars, Remain in Top Three in Top Fuel, Funny Car Points appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.
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