Matt Hagan continued his impressive 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing series performance Sunday at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Four-Wide Nationals with his third Funny Car win in four events in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Haas Automotive Dodge Charger SRT® Hellcat.
Hagan, the three-time NHRA World Champion, qualified third in the 16-car field and advanced to the final round with solid, consistent runs of 3.997 and 3.968 seconds to set up a third finals appearance in the opening four races in 2023.
Competing against John Force, Tim Wilkerson and Chad Green in the final, Hagan posted a winning time of 3.943 at 326.79 m.p.h. for his 46th career Funny Car victory and extended his Funny Car points lead to 105 entering the next NHRA national event at Charlotte, NC., on April 28-30.
Hagan’s Funny Car victory was his second straight at the Strip after winning last October in the Nevada Nationals and his fifth Las Vegas triumph of his career. This is Hagan’s seventh win with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) dating back to the 2022 Gatornationals.
“This is so special to share the winner’s circle with my boss, Tony Stewart, and his first NHRA national win too,” said Hagan after his third 2023 victory and Stewart’s first Top Alcohol Dragster win. “It’s funny because I never followed Tony’s oval racing career, and I actually had to look up his achievements when I talked with him about this new team.
“After he won here, he came to my car and said, ‘Now it’s your turn to win!’ Wow, I wasn’t feeling any pressure until then. But our crew, led by Dickie Venables, has been so good this year that I just needed to be good on the line. And that car ran strong to the finish.”
TSR team owner Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup champion, captured his first NHRA national event Sunday by taking the Top Alcohol Dragster victory. It was Stewart’s fourth race in NHRA national event competition. The Columbus, IN, driver has now won at all four Las Vegas Motor Speedway tracks in 1.5-mile oval, 3/8-mile Bullring, Half-mile dirt oval and the Strip.
“This is the most fun I have had in a long time,” said Stewart in victory lane with Hagan. “Matt and his crew are doing a tremendous job with three wins already and Leah’s (Pruett, Hagan’s TSR teammate and Stewart’s wife) crew has been outstanding in this early portion of the season. Yes, it is exciting to win my first NHRA national event, but the double is very special today.”
Pruett, the 10-time NHRA national winner, recorded a solid showing in qualifying to place fifth entering Sunday’s eliminations with her Code 3 Associates Dodge//SRT Mopar® Top Fuel dragster with runs of 3.746, 3.747 and 3.753. In Sunday’s competition, Leah posted a 3.779 to win against three other drivers before falling in the second round with a 3.798 to eventual winner Antron Brown and Brittany Force.
“Our team did a great job all weekend here in Las Vegas,” said Pruett, now fifth in the NHRA Camping World Top Fuel point standings. “We ran great times in the heat and the track was getting tricky. But Neal Strausbaugh and his crew really gave me a solid, strong car in every run here at the Strip. They work so hard for me and our sponsors. I’m pleased with the momentum we are making. Both Antron and Brittany are World Champions, and we ran right with them. So, we may have lost that round, but we were so close to advancing to the next one. We had a very positive weekend.” Cruz Pedregon, a four-time winner at the Strip, recorded his second consecutive NHRA Camping World Funny Car pole position Saturday in the qualifying rounds for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Pedregon, took his Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat machine to a time of 3.910 seconds to pace the 16-car Funny Car field.
Vegas Grand Slam for Tony! Hagan kickin’ ass too!