Equipment Failures and Mechanical Woes Drop a Speedbump in Front of TSR’s Title Hopes at Historic 40th Anniversary Event

The 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals delivered a blow to Tony Stewart Racing’s championship aspirations in Top Fuel and Funny Car this weekend, as both cars were loaded back into the haulers due to early eliminations. This weekend’s story went far deeper than simple on-track defeats – mechanical issues plagued the TSR operation throughout the event at Texas Motorplex.

The weekend began with a BIG BOOM during Friday’s opening qualifying session. Matt Hagan’s Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT^® Hellcat Funny Car suffered a blower explosion just before the finish line, which set the tone for the entire event.

Despite the explosion, Hagan managed a 3.970 ET at 325.36 mph in round one of qualifying, putting him in the 4th spot on the ladder. By the time round 2 of qualifying rolled around on Friday night, Hagan’s crew had a ton of new parts on the engine and the SRT Hellcat body looking good to go, but facing what he described as “an unrealistic challenge to think we could go up there and row low (ET).” Running with cylinders out, drifting toward the center line, he was forced to shut off early. Hagan posted a 4.086 at 269.64 mph, dropping to the 12th position at the end of the round.

Tony Stewart’s Mobil 1 Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster clocked a strong 3.817 ET in Q1 – good enough for fourth provisional position – though a timing malfunction prevented a speed reading. His Q2 effort of 3.724 at 331.86 mph secured him the eighth qualifying position. Racing at this level is a game of hundredths, and with only .04 separating Stewart in the 8th spot after four rounds of qualifying to Shawn Langdon in 1st, it was clear everyone brought their A-Game to Texas!

Shifting gears to Saturday’s qualifying rounds, we started to see what having more than your share of motors throw fire out of places where fire is not intended to exit means as the season winds down. “We’ve blown up six times this year,” Hagan revealed. “We don’t have any more blowers, so we were trying to salvage the two we have to get through race day.”

The shortage forced crew chief Mike Knudsen into triage mode. Saturday’s runs became exercises in equipment preservation rather than performance maximization. Hagan’s Q3 run produced a 4.565 at 184.87 mph and a metric ton of powdered rubber around the 400′ mark, followed by a 4.017 at 300.16 mph in fourth round qualifying.

“On Saturday, in the heat of the day, we were making half-track pulls because we’re out of parts and pieces,” Hagan explained. “That’s challenging because you’re going up there at kind of half-go.”

Stewart’s Saturday sessions showed similar inconsistency with runs of 3.936 at 250.42 mph and 4.478 at 177.18 mph, maintaining eighth position based on Friday’s effort.

Tony Stewart’s Saturday qualifying sessions proved equally troubling for the TSR Top Fuel team. After securing eighth position with Friday’s solid 3.724 ET at 331.86 mph, the three-time NASCAR champion struggled to maintain that form in Saturday’s Texas heat. His effort in round three of qualifying was hindered when the tires started to haze on the top end, only producing a 3.936 at just 250.42 mph, followed by an off-the-pace 4.478 at 177.18 mph in the final qualifying session.

Fortunately, Stewart’s Friday performance held up, allowing him to maintain the eighth spot on the ladder despite the Saturday struggles. But the inconsistency of qualifying foreshadowed the equally brutal elimination rounds waiting for the team on Sunday.

When Sunday’s eliminations kicked off, Stewart faced Clay Millican for the third time in 2025 – and for the third time, Millican prevailed. His 3.700 at 335.32 mph defeated Stewart’s 3.774 at 321.52 mph.

“This wasn’t the weekend we were looking for at the FallNationals,” Stewart said. “We knew Clay was going to be a tough opponent in round one today. We just didn’t have enough for him.”

The loss dropped Stewart from fourth to sixth in Top Fuel points, now trailing championship leader Doug Kalitta by 236 points with just two races remaining in the 2025 NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series.

Matt Hagan’s first-round matchup against Paul Lee proved equally heartbreaking. Despite equipment constraints, Hagan managed a strong 3.934 at 330.35 mph and even gained an advantage at the starting line.

“We had a close drag race today against Paul,” Hagan said. “We did the best we could in the right lane. I got him a little on the tree, but he had more for the racetrack.” It never feels good to pack up early at an event, and it stings even more when the difference between going another round and loading up is 0.006 seconds.

“This was a really challenging weekend and obviously not what we set out to do,” Hagan reflected. “I know it’s easy for my guys to put their heads down, but we have two races to go. No matter how the points hunt shakes out, we can still win two more races, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

While TSR struggled, Austin Prock delivered a masterclass in playoff racing. The reigning champion was untouchable all weekend, running the quickest elapsed time in every session after the opening round of qualifying. His final-round performance – 3.959 at 328.30 mph against Ron Capps’ troubled 4.405 – secured his ninth win of 2025.

“After Q1, we were low E.T. every time we went down the track, and not just by a little bit,” Prock said. “I said earlier this weekend that whoever gets the most wins in these next three races is going to be crowned the world champion, and we knocked one off, so we’ve got two more to go.”

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta continued his remarkable playoff run, advancing to his fourth consecutive final round and securing his second straight victory with a 3.777 at 333.04 mph against Steve Torrence. Kalitta’s 236-point lead over Stewart and 141-point advantage over second-place Justin Ashley puts him on the brink of a second world championship.

With two races remaining – the Nevada Nationals in Las Vegas and the season finale at Pomona – both Stewart and Hagan face long championship odds. Stewart’s sixth-place position, 236 points behind Kalitta, makes it a difficult proposition to take the 2025 title, but there is always room to climb up the ladder. Hagan’s 112-point deficit to Prock would require consecutive victories and a collapse from John Force Racing.

The question facing Tony Stewart Racing is whether they can solve their reliability issues in time to challenge in Las Vegas and Pomona. With depleted equipment inventory and confidence tested by mechanical gremlins, the team faces an uphill battle. But if there’s one thing Stewart, Hagan and their talented crews have proven throughout their careers, it’s that they’re at their best when facing adversity.

The TSR, Dodge/Direct Connection team began the 2025 Countdown with promise and momentum. Stewart is the 2025 Regular Season Champion, and Hagan is sitting second in the Funny Car points. The Texas weekend served as a harsh reminder that in NHRA Drag Racing, reliability matters as much as speed. But setbacks are part of the fire that forges champions, and this team knows how to turn it around when it’s needed most!

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action October 30-November 2 with the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.