Thu, 20 Nov 2025, 18:19 PM Tony Stewart & Matt Hagan Wrap Up

Courtesy of Ashley Wilson, Tony Stewart Racing

 

Tony Stewart & Matt Hagan
Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel & Funny Car Drivers
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
Nov. 14-16 | Pomona, California

Event Recap

Tony Stewart, driver of the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster:
• Q1 on Friday was canceled due to a shortened day with weather
• The second qualifying session on Friday was canceled due to rain
• Q3 on Saturday was canceled due to a shortened day with weather
• The second qualifying session on Saturday was canceled due to rain. With the cancelation of qualifying, the ladder was set based upon championship points standings coming into the event, which had Stewart qualify in the No. 5 position.
• Eliminations at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals were canceled due to adverse weather and unsafe track conditions.
• Finished fifth in the Top Fuel championship standings, 243 points behind champion Doug Kalitta

Matt Hagan, driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
• Q1 on Friday was canceled due to a shortened day with weather
• The second qualifying session on Friday was canceled due to rain
• Q3 on Saturday was canceled due to a shortened day with weather
• The second qualifying session on Saturday was canceled due to rain. With the cancelation of qualifying, the ladder was set based upon championship points standings coming into the event, which had Stewart qualify in the No. 5 position.
• Eliminations at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals were canceled due to adverse weather and unsafe track conditions.
• Finished second in the Funny Car championship standings, 101 points behind champion Austin Prock

Notes of Interest

• Hagan has now won at least three tour events in 13 consecutive seasons, which is the longest active streak in the sport and the second longest in history (John Force won three or more events in 18 straight seasons from 1990 through 2007). Hagan's 2025 wins came at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Kent, Washington, the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, and the NHRA Nevada Nationals in Las Vegas.
• Hagan entered the season finale with 18 wins in Countdown races, the most among Funny Car drivers and second most overall behind only Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson (19).
• Hagan earned Tony Stewart Racing’s first Funny Car championship at the 2023 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. It marked Hagan’s fourth Funny Car championship, where he became just the fourth Funny Car driver to win as many as four championships after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme. Hagan will remain in search of his fifth World Championship.
• The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals concludes Stewart’s second season in the Top Fuel Dragster class. Next year, Leah Pruett returns to the TSR Top Fuel Dragster after stepping aside to start a family with Stewart. Stewart will move to the Elite Motorsports Top Fuel Dragster seat.
• Pruett and Stewart’s son Dominic James Stewart celebrated his first birthday at the NHRA Finals. Dom was born one year ago on race day at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Tony Stewart, Driver of the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster

“There is one thing that is undefeated in this world and that’s Mother Nature. It’s unfortunate, but it is the right decision. I don’t think you are going to hear anyone in the pit area get upset about this call. This is one that is out of our control, and, as racers, we always want to be in control of everything. Hey, at least Dominic had a great first birthday party. Every time that I want to be disappointed in how the Countdown went, I have to remind myself of what the goal was this year. It was literally to see the needle move in the right direction with the team. At the end, we were a contender to win races, and we let a couple slip through the cracks. But we won two races and the regular season championship. It definitely checked the right box to see the needle move in the right direction. An Indy win would have been nice, but there was a bigger prize with the regular season points title there. You look back on the season, and it could have been a little better. But you look at Matt’s (Hagan) side with the Funny Car, and to have a whole new crew chief combination with Mike (Knudsen) and Phil (Shuler), and to see those guys perform well and be in a position to win a championship. It was a long shot, but they were right there. That is literally all you can ask for. I think everyone is excited to have Leah (Pruett) back in the TSR Top Fuel car and I’m excited to get the opportunity to race against her next year. We are excited for the 2026 season.”

Matt Hagan, Driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car

“As a competitor, you want to run this thing out, but I think we just wanted our shot to go for the championship. We wanted to fight for the championship that we have been working towards all year long. The end result was they (Austin Prock) were three rounds ahead of us. The NHRA came to our team owner, our marketing partners, and the crew and asked what we wanted to do today. The decision was made across the board that this was the proper decision with the weather. It was best for safety with the sand trap full of water and it definitely stings. You come here to Pomona as a competitor, and you want to have a shot at the title. We just ask for that opportunity and we had that. Mother Nature didn’t give us that chance this weekend. It would be awful to see someone go out and crash a car or get hurt. It just wasn’t meant to be. But, overall, for our new crew chief (Mike Knudsen) to have to call all of the shots and at all of the races and his note pad was all new at all of the racetracks. Mike had to make those ‘gut’ decisions and to win three races and finish second in the championship was a great season. I’m super proud of all of my crew guys as they are wrenching on the car and the car was solid all year. The whole crew is coming back for 2026 and I’m very excited about that. I know what we just did as a first-year team and I’m very excited for the future.”

Next Up
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season kicks off March 5-8 with the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.