Matt Hagan proved to be the most consistent Funny Car driver Sunday at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip when he drove the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Haas Dodge Charger SRT® Hellcat to victory in the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals, the third race of the 21-event NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
Hagan, winner of the season opener at Gainesville, FL, came from his tenth starting position to clock runs of 3.929, 3.950, 3.955 and 3.967 in defeating defending Funny Car World Champion Ron Capps in the final round.
The victory was Hagan’s fourth Winternationals title and 45th NHRA career triumph, currently ranking fourth all-time Funny Car wins behind John Force, Capps and Robert Hight.
Hagan’s win moved the Dodge//SRT Mopar® racer to the top of the current NHRA Funny Car point standings with 277 to Capps’ 251 as the NHRA Camping World tour heads to the Four-Wide Nationals on April 14-16 in Las Vegas, NV.
“Matt Hagan and his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team continues to show the winning ways in the very tough NHRA Funny Car class with his second 2023 victory this weekend at the prestigious Winternationals,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “We congratulate Matt and his crew for another stellar performance with his potent Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat machine. It just shows the commitment from the team that continues to our Dodge lineup of vehicles and Direct Connection performance parts.”
Hagan gave the credit for the win to his TSR crew after struggling a bit in qualifying, but he knew the car could be a factor in eliminations.
“It’s been a wonderful weekend,” said Hagan. “The right lane was giving us a tough time all weekend and it was a handful. For Dickie Venable (crew chief), Mike Knudsen (co-crew chief), Alex Conaway (car chief) and all of the guys wrenching on my car, I’m so thankful for them. They always find a way to put a great race car underneath me. I try to rise to the occasion when I can and turn on the win lights. It’s a great day when you can move up from being the No. 10 qualifier and win the race. I’m always glad to have Dickie in our corner. At the end of the day, I’m really proud of our guys.”
Leah Pruett, Hagan’s TSR teammate in the Top Fuel category, qualified third in the Rinnai dragster Saturday, but lost in the first round of eliminations Sunday at the Pomona Dragstrip.
In qualifying, Cruz Pedregon, recent Pomona Dragstrip winner in November at the NHRA World Finals, continued his strong performance by capturing the Top Qualifier Award in the Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with a 3.865 run. Pedregon advanced to the second round in eliminations, as did young Alex Laughlin the Jim Dunn “Moon Eyes” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcast.
The Dodge//SRT Mopar competitors move to Las Vegas for the next round of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series on April 14-16 in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.