Midwest Mayhem

Tony Stewart Racing’s Championship hopes face a step back in Top Fuel and jump forward in Funny Car at a sold-out World Wide Technology Raceway.

The third round of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship delivered both promise and heartbreak for Tony Stewart Racing at this weekend’s NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals. With a sold-out crowd packing World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois (just outside St. Louis), regular season champion Tony Stewart and four-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan carried their Championship hopes into battle – with dramatically different results in Sunday’s eliminations.

Both TSR Dodge/Direct Connection hot rods entered St. Louis as serious contenders for the 2025 NHRA Championship. Stewart entered the event sitting in the fourth spot in the Top Fuel standings, 68 points behind leader Doug Kalitta, while Hagan held on to second place in Funny Car, trailing Austin Prock by 79 points. At the halfway point of the six-race Countdown, every bonus point earned in the qualifying and elimination rounds matters!

Stewart demonstrated championship form by qualifying third with a solid 3.690 at 335.15 mph, slotting in behind points leader Doug Kalitta and reigning champion Antron Brown. The performance represented a significant improvement from his 11th-place qualifying effort at St. Louis in 2024.

Speaking ahead of the weekend about three consecutive Countdown races, Stewart emphasized his team’s approach: “We’re having three grueling weeks in a row. I like it because that’s what I’m used to in NASCAR, so you just grind it out.”

Matt Hagan and the Funny Car Team delivered a qualifying performance befitting a four-time champion, earning a strong 2nd place starting position for Sunday’s elimination rounds. Hagan and his Dodge//SRT^® Hellcat laid down a solid 3.868 at 329.91 mph, positioning himself directly behind points leader Austin Prock for Sunday’s eliminations. Coming off a final-round appearance at Charlotte, Hagan expressed confidence ahead of the weekend: “We are now second in points and within striking distance. We need to keep doing what we do and not worry about anyone else.”

Saturday’s sessions proved crucial as both drivers fine-tuned their combinations for elimination day. Matt Hagan picked up valuable bonus points with his strong 3.958 run during Saturday’s action, demonstrating the competitive spirit that has defined all of his Countdown appearances.

For Stewart, maintaining his third-place qualifying position represented solid progress in his 37th career Top Fuel start and second appearance at World Wide Technology Raceway. The Top Fuel contender struggled a bit with consistency throughout qualifying, sending the massive rear tires on his Top Fuel car into low Earth orbit early in the run on two of his four qualifying attempts.

Sunday’s eliminations brought dramatically contrasting results for the TSR teammates. Stewart faced Sweden’s Ida Zetterström in the first round, but encountered performance issues during his run. Stewart’s 3.927 at 298.93 mph showed his dragster was struggling compared to his strong qualifying efforts, while Zetterström tore down the tree with a perfect .000 reaction time and powered down the track to take the round 1 win.

The loss was particularly frustrating given Stewart’s strong qualifying performance and championship aspirations. The performance drop-off from his qualifying efforts highlighted the challenges of maintaining consistency in Top Fuel competition, where even the best-prepared teams can be derailed by any issue.

While Stewart’s day ended in disappointment, Hagan delivered exactly the performance his championship campaign needed. The four-time champion methodically advanced through the elimination rounds from his second-place qualifying position, opening eliminations by defeating Alex Laughlin with a solid 3.964 at 328.54 mph.

Hagan continued his march through an increasingly difficult bracket, ultimately setting up a final-round showdown with defending event winner Jack Beckman. Beckman had been impressive all weekend, qualifying third and defeating rookie Spencer Hyde, points leader Austin Prock and Chad Green to reach his fifth final round of 2025 and 77th of his career.

In the Final round, Hagan delivered when it mattered most. Running 3.979 seconds at 329.34 mph in his American Rebel Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat, Hagan held off Beckman’s 4.036 to claim the 54th win of his illustrious career. The victory marked Hagan’s third St. Louis triumph (2021, 2023, 2025) and provided a crucial boost to his championship campaign at the Countdown’s halfway point.

The contrasting results represent a mixed weekend for TSR’s championship hopes. While Stewart’s 13th-place finish serves as a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in NHRA’s unforgiving playoff format, Hagan’s victory provides a significant boost to his title campaign.

For Hagan, the win couldn’t have come at a better time. After reaching the final round at Charlotte the previous weekend and finishing as runner-up, the St. Louis victory demonstrated his ability to close out races when it matters most. The triumph moves him to just 20 points behind leader Austin Prock and showcases the kind of elimination-round performance needed to capture championships.

Hagan’s success at World Wide Technology Raceway continued with his latest victory. Having now won three times at the facility (2021, 2023, 2025) and advanced to seven final rounds overall. His 369th career Funny Car start and 16th at St. Louis delivered exactly what he needed at the Countdown’s halfway point.

For context, Stewart is seeking his first victory at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. In 2024, he qualified 11th and lost in the first round to Shawn Reed by a mere 0.018 seconds. This year’s third-place qualifying run showed significant progress, though the elimination result remained disappointing.

The Regular Season NHRA Champion in Top Fuel has won the overall Championship five of the last eight years, giving Stewart’s title hopes strong historical precedent despite this setback.

The TSR operation continues to demonstrate the professionalism and attention to detail that Stewart brought from a lifetime worth of racing at the highest levels. The team’s ability to maintain a competitive pace while managing the intense Countdown schedule speaks to the organizational strength that has made them immediate contenders in NHRA’s premier categories. Both drivers acknowledged the demanding nature of three consecutive race weekends, but embraced the challenge with championship experience guiding their approach.

As the series moves to the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals for the fourth round of the Countdown, both Stewart and Hagan know they must build on their St. Louis performance. With only three races remaining after Texas, every round – and every point – becomes increasingly crucial.

The weekend just outside of St. Louis proved that even the most prepared teams can face unexpected outcomes in NHRA competition. For Tony Stewart Racing, the challenge is channeling Stewart’s disappointment and building on Hagan’s momentum for the championship stretch run, knowing that their speed remains competitive. Still, consistency on race day separates champions from contenders.