Tony Stewart Scores First Top Fuel Final at NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Matt Hagan Takes Semifinal Finish in Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car

July 29, 2024 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  Racing legend Tony Stewart just missed making motorsports history Sunday at the NHRA DENSO Somona Nationals when he scored a Top Fuel runner-up finish with his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Rinnai Dodge//SRT nitro-burning dragster.

Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, was attempting to become the first driver in racing history to capture major professional race wins in four separate disciplines (NASCAR, IndyCar, USAC and NHRA) as he faced former world champion Antron Brown in the Top Fuel final round in just his 12th professional event.

Stewart, who had defeated Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and Ron August Jr. in the first three rounds of competition before a large crowd in the 75-degree weather, posted a quicker reaction time over Brown, but Brown’s car drove around Stewart’s mount with a 3.746 to 3.774 for the Top Fuel event title.

Replacing his wife, Leah Pruett, at the beginning of the 2024 season in the TSR Dodge//SRT dragster as the pair begin a family in November, Stewart has been impressive off the starting line and showed it again Sunday with a great reaction time against two of the best in Top Fuel: Ashley in the second round and Brown in the final. The runner-up finish for Stewart keeps him in the top-ten in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings as the series heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, for the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals on Aug. 16-18.

Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup winner at Sonoma Raceway, had not competed at the track since 2016 when he captured his last NASCAR race and was seeking a “storybook” ending by putting the TSR Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster in Sonoma victory lane.

“This was a much better weekend than I anticipated,” said Stewart after the final. “We knew after last week’s Seattle race that we had to regroup. Dickie Venables from Matt’s (Hagan Funny Car) team offered to help us, and we walked through many things with our Top Fuel guys and Dickie. We were trying to see if there was a ‘smoking gun’ we were missing. We needed a day like today for the team guys. In the final, we did everything we could as we left on one of the best drivers in Top Fuel. To leave on Antron in the final is very big for me as a driver. We spit a couple of (spark) plugs out at the far end and, if Antron had any problem, we were right there for the win.
 
“I’m so proud of the team and the morale is great. That was the key to the success today. We gained speed this weekend and ran three 330s (m.p.h.). We’ll take want we learned this weekend and try to make it better. We kept Antron honest in the final and we made improvements with the car. It was my first two-car final and I’m proud how the weekend went overall.”   

Stewart’s TSR teammate, Matt Hagan, piloted his TSR JHG Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the semifinals Sunday the at NHRA Sonoma Nationals and stayed third in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points.

After a blistering 3.839 qualifying run Saturday to place him second in the 16-car field, the defending NHRA Mission Funny Car World Champion defeated Jeff Diehl and Chad Green in the opening two rounds of eliminations before facing former champion Ron Capps in the semifinals. In a close race at the finish line, Capps’ 3.923 bettered Hagan’s 3.933.

“The Dodge//SRT race car is coming around now,” said Hagan, who scored wins earlier this year at Charlotte and Chicago. “We tried some things in the bellhousing in the summer races. We have to do that to grow. This weekend we went back to the direction we have run over the past years with the car. With our proven setup, the car ran well all weekend including qualifying No. 2 with a 3.839. It was a great weekend overall with the facility, race surface and the great crowd. We put on a good show too.

“We were just on the back side of a good drag race with Ron (Capps) in the semis. We just didn’t have enough. We’ll get in our ‘Countdown’ mindset now. You have to win a couple of races in the ‘Countdown’ to have a shot at the championship. We have some work to do. It’s never easy in this sport. So, when you win it, it does feel so good. We are usually good in the ‘Countdown’ and that’s our goal again. I’m really excited for Tony (Stewart, teammate and team owner) and his crew to go to the final round. This is a team effort with TSR.”

Stewart and Hagan are back in action at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, with qualifying scheduled for Friday, Aug. 16, at 4:30 p.m. CDT and 6:45 p.m. CDT, and Saturday, Aug. 17 at 12:30 p.m. CDT and 3 p.m. CDT. Sunday’s final eliminations will begin at 10:30 a.m. CDT.

The FOX Network will televise the Brainerd event on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 3 p.m. EDT.
 
@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 2024 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 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 www.blog.mopar.com. 

Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:

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