It’s been compared to the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and even the Kentucky Derby, but in the world of drag racing, the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals is the biggest, longest and most historic race that every competitor wants to win. Referred to by many in the sport as the “Big Go”, the NHRA U.S. Nationals is the most prestigious drag race on the planet. Held every Labor Day Weekend, the NHRA U.S Nationals is steeped in drag racing tradition. From the 14,000-horsepower ground-pounding Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars to the production-based Stock Eliminator entries, every racer, Pro or Sportsman, that rolls into the vast pits of Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) wants to win that U.S. Nationals ‘Wally’ Trophy. With over 900 teams coming through the IRP gates, they’ll be competing for a combined potential payout of more than $2 million in cash and posted contingency awards. It will be all hands on deck for the hardworking NHRA staff onsite to make sure they get this car pitted, teched, staged and ready to blast down the strip. It’s a daunting task, but the NHRA knows what it takes to wrangle up these racers competing in numerous categories and get ready for battle.

For Funny Car ace Matt Hagan, who’s made numerous trips to the winner’s circle, there’s only one Indy. “You look at the NHRA national event schedule before each season and mark the most important races to win,” said Matt Hagan, three-time NHRA Camping World Funny Car champion. “And you always list Indy as No. 1. Of course, racing for Dodge, Direct Connection and Tony Stewart Racing, the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals should be at the top of our list. Winning Indy is our ultimate NHRA victory.” Hagan, the 40-year-old driver from Christiansburg, Virginia, will roll into the U.S. Nationals as one of the leading contenders in the Funny Car class. With a season that already has four NHRA national event wins under his belt driving his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT^® Hellcat Charger, Hagan will be one tough contender.

“We have led the Funny Car points for most of the season,” Hagan said. “But now we are 21 points from first and we definitely want to have the top spot after Indy. The points are readjusted for the final six races, and I’d like to be back in the lead entering the Countdown. I think Dickie (Venables, crew chief) and our guys are ready for the challenge at Indy with the five qualifying runs, the All-Star Callout race, and Monday’s finals. We slipped a bit at Brainerd, but we are prepared to win the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals.”

Hagan, the U.S. Nationals record holder at 3.799 seconds and 338.77 mph, will first take to the strip when the action gets underway on Friday, Sept. 1. The Pep Boys All-Star Funny Car Callout is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3.

Hagan’s teammate is also getting ready for NHRA’s “Big Go”. Leah Pruett, who currently is sitting fifth in the NHRA Camping World Top Fuel points standings, is looking to step up her game and bag her first U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title. Her TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster will blast into Indy ready to rock after a strong runner-up finish during the NHRA performance at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, two weeks ago and winning early this summer at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio. “I feel very confident coming into the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals with our TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection team,” said Pruett. “We showed that the Direct Connection dragster can run with the best after our winning hits (runs) at Brainerd. We had a tough road to get to the final round against three former World Champions and the current points leader. We knew our work was cut out for us. Our focus is on propelling this momentum built from being extremely thorough and diligent, from the parts to the tune-up, and digging even deeper into where we can improve. Indy is the biggest race of the year for a driver and team. And you need everything working well to get that Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals Wally. I know that is our goal.” 

In the Sportsman Classes that include the Dodge HEMI^® Challenge, Mopar_® competitors will be going all out to capture this highly sought-after eliminator. Steve Comella, who’s won the last two Dodge HEMI Challenge events, is looking for a threepeat this year and his 1968 Super Stock HEMI Barracuda is ready to take on the rest of the field. “We’ve done nothing different to the car this year. We’re running the same engine and trans and have finetuned our combination,” said second-generation HEMI racer Steve Comella. Since there’ll be 15 or so other competitors trying to knock him off his perch and preventing him from winning another Dodge HEMI Shootout, you’d think there’d be more pressure on Comella. But he’s a seasoned racer and doesn’t get rattled by all the gossip in the SS/AH call. “I’m totally unplugged from the other competitors in this class and don’t worry about the drama. I’m not on social media and just stay focused on my race program.” 

If you can’t make it to Indy for Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, don’t worry. You can catch all the action from the comfort of your living room as it’ll be televised on FOX Sports 1 with qualifying round 1 on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and qualifying round 2 on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m. EDT. The Funny Car All-Star Callout will be shown on FOX Network on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 4:00 p.m. EDT and the Finals on Monday starting at 2:00 p.m. on FOX. 

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