• Toughest track conditions in the NHRA drag racing series hit the NHRA Virginia Nationals for Dodge//SRT racers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan in their nitro machines
  • With 93-degree air temperature and a 147-degree track surface, the Virginia Motorsports Park event proved to be a battle for Stewart, Hagan and all racers on and off the track
  • Stewart’s Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster was unable to make a full run in qualifying on Saturday with his 12,000-horsepower car, settling for 14th in the field
  • Stewart’s crew, led by Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala, made adjustments for the first round against No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force, posting an upset win
  • The first-round win marked the ninth consecutive race in which Stewart has advanced to the quarterfinals, the only driver in the Top Fuel category to accomplish that feat
  • In the semifinals, Stewart, the current Top Fuel points leader, faced former world champion Shawn Langdon, No. 2 in points, but Stewart’s car left the starting line too soon for the loss
  • Despite the semifinals defeat, the NASCAR Hall of Famer remains the point leader by 31 as the NHRA Mission national drag racing tour heads to Norwalk, Ohio, on June 27-29
  • Four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion Matt Hagan, Stewart’s TSR Dodge//SRT teammate, lost a close first round race with rookie Hunter Green in his Dodge//SRT Hellcat
  • Hagan, who qualified sixth in the 16-car field, recorded a 4.088 to Green’s 4.064 in the all-Dodge//SRT Funny Car matchup and still ranks in the Funny Car top five in points
  • Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

June 23, 2025, Auburn Hills, Mich. – Fighting the hottest track surface in some ten years in the NHRA Mission drag racing series, Dodge//SRT drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan battled tough conditions at the NHRA Virginia Nationals this weekend, as Stewart fought his way to the Top Fuel semifinals and Hagan lost another close fight.

With a 93-degree air temperature and a track surface reading 147 degrees, the entire weekend was difficult for all of the nitro teams at Virginia Motorsports Park, and Stewart had trouble getting his 12,000-horsepower machine down the track in three rounds of qualifying. The famed Indiana driver qualified 14th in the field and then faced Brittany Force, the No. 1 qualifier, in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

The Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Nitro crew, led by Neal Strausbaugh and Mike Domagala, made several adjustments overnight with the American Rebel Light Dodge//SRT Top Fueler in preparation for the tough matchup with Force. “Smoke” was first off the starting line and wasn’t headed, with a winning low elapsed time of final eliminations at 3.872 to Force’s 3.938.

The first-round victory for Stewart marked his ninth consecutive opening round win, making the NASCAR Hall of Famer the only Top Fuel racer to accomplish the feat this year.

With the first-round win, Stewart had a bye run in the second round and faced former world champion Shawn Langdon in the semifinals. Stewart, suffering from dehydration in the hot and humid weather, spent some time in the NHRA medical center after his first-round win.

Unfortunately, Stewart was a bit too quick on the draw against Langdon at the starting line with a red-light, giving Langdon an easy victory. Langdon then defeated Justin Ashley in the final round to take the Virginia National Top Fuel title.

Despite Stewart’s semifinal loss, the motorsports legend remains the NHRA Top Fuel points leader (by 31 points) as the NHRA Mission drag racing campaign heads to the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 27-29.

“I was in a hurry during the semifinals,” said Stewart. “It (the red-light) is a compliment to Shawn (Langdon). He is in the top two guys leaving the starting line in this category right now, so you can’t give him anything. We couldn’t leave anything on the table, and he has a great team also. I just let my team down today.

“It was a tough weekend overall. Qualifying was tough for us, and I had my struggles today, so we’ll just rebound. I’m proud that our American Rebel Light Dodge//SRT team made it to the semifinals again, and we still have our round one winning streak going. But it’s hard to take when I’m the one that took us out.”

Hagan, driving the American Rebel Light Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, qualified sixth in the 16-car field, but the 125-degree track surface in the first-round left a tough decision in car setup for the TSR crew, led by Mike Knudson, Phil Shuler and Alex Conaway. Hagan went up against rookie driver Hunter Green in an all-Dodge SRT Hellcat matchup in the opening round.

In another close race for Hagan, the young Green posted a 4.064 to Matt’s 4.088 in the extreme track conditions. However, the first-round defeat still kept Hagan, the four-time NHRA World Champion, in the top five in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the TSR Dodge/SRT squad moves on to the NHRA Summit Racing Nationals this weekend.

“One of the positive takeaways from this weekend is that we qualified in the top half of the field,” said Hagan. “We were focused on that coming into the Richmond weekend. We brought a new chassis out because we’ve been trying a couple different cars that we’ve won with in the past. The car is running well, but we’ve just been on the back side of some good drag races recently.

“Sometimes we get caught up with who we’re racing, instead of just racing the racetrack. We talked as a team about pushing as hard as the track will hold. I’m very proud of Mike (Knudson, crew chief), Phil (Shuler, co-crew chief), Alex (Conaway, car chief) and all the guys who are working on the car. It’s a combination of everything. We win as a team and lose as a team. We need to just put our best foot forward with the Direct Connection Dodge coming up in Norwalk.”

Stewart and Hagan will be at the wheel of their red-and-blue TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT nitro machines at the popular NHRA Summit Racing Nationals, which features one of the largest crowds of the 20-race NHRA Mission tour. The nitro action begins on Friday, June 27, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EDT with Saturday’s qualifying rounds set for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. EDT. Final eliminations will be held on Sunday, June 29, at 11 a.m. EDT.

The Summit Motorsports Park national event will have several telecasts with qualifying rounds on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1 and final eliminations on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT on the FOX 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 Stewart Advances to Semis at NHRA Virginia Nationals, Remains Top Fuel Points Leader in Dodge//SRT Dragster; Hagan Out in Funny Car Round One appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.

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