Hagan Takes TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat to Funny Car Final At NHRA Summit Nationals, Stewart Scores Eighth Straight Semifinals Finish

Matt Hagan

• Four-time world champion Matt Hagan scored a runner-up Sunday at the NHRA Summit Nationals with his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat
• Hagan, a former Summit Nationals champion, showed his driving skills with incredible starting reactions including in the final round against current world champion Austin Prock
• Despite 144-degree track temperatures, Hagan pulled off an impressive 0.050 starting line light over Prock’s 0.069, but Prock clocked a 4.064 to Matt’s 4.095 and won by inches
• Hagan had a tough draw in eliminations, taking on three former world champions in J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon, before going against Prock in the final round
• Hagan remains fifth in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the NHRA tour heads to Seattle for the NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20
• Hagan’s TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart recorded his eighth consecutive semifinals finish Sunday in a close battle with Clay Millican, just 0.0167 seconds behind
• It was a difficult weekend for the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT team with several engine explosions in qualifying and eliminations, but Stewart ran well in the hot conditions
• In the opening round, the NASCAR Hall of Famer defeated Kyle Wurtzel with a 3.894 in the first round and former world champion Steve Torrence with 3.908 in the second round
• Despite the semifinals loss, Stewart extended his NHRA Mission Top Fuel points advantage to 52 over Shawn Langdon at the halfway point of the 20-race national tour
• In a very popular victory, Ohio’s Mark Pawuk captured the highly competitive FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown title at his home racetrack with a win over Scott Libersher   
• Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

By: Stellantis (Photos Courtesy Stellantis)

June 30, 2025, Auburn Hills, Mich. – Four-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan exhibited phenomenal driving skills Sunday in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat, posting a runner-up finish at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals while his TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart drove to his eighth consecutive 2025 semifinals finish in the Top Fuel class.

Hagan, the 52-time NHRA national race winner from Christiansburg, Virginia., defeated three former world champions – J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon – enroute to the final round against reigning world champion Austin Prock. Hagan’s starting line prowess at Summit Motorsports Park was outstanding with two impressive 0.052 reaction times and a 0.050 in the final against Prock.

Despite Hagan’s quick reaction time in the final round, the driver of the Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat wasn’t able to hold off a charging Prock at the finish line, as Prock clocked a 4.064 to Matt’s 4.095. Hagan held the advantage over Prock at halfway, and the difference was just 0.0166 seconds at the finish.

In earlier eliminations, Hagan defeated Todd with a 3.976 pass in round one, Beckman with a 4.088 in round two and Pedregon with a 4.127 in the semifinals in 88-degree air temperature and a 144-degree track surface.

“As for driving the racecar, it was a lot of fun this weekend,” said Hagan. “When they go fast and straight, that’s great, but today you didn’t know what to expect. You could drop a cylinder, and the car was going right and left. It was a great healing weekend for our TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT crew, since we have been losing some very close drag races lately. We went out against some big players each round, including J.R. (Todd) in the first round because we know what Dickie (Venables, Hagan’s former TSR crew chief) can do in these conditions. Then two close ones with Jack (Beckman) and Cruz (Pedregon, No. 1 qualifier) to get to the final.

“I knew I had to cut a good light against Austin (Prock). And we ran 0.050 light against that kid and that was good. I never saw him until the finish line. And we put out a cylinder at the 300-foot mark. I think Mike (Knudson, the new TSR crew chief) has been doing a great job as it is his first time as crew chief. I think things are really turning around for us now with the hot conditions and we are at the halfway point now. I am extremely proud of this TSR Dodge//SRT team. They work hard in the heat and do a fantastic job. And it was fun to have the Dodge folks down to see us from Detroit too.”

Hagan’s TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT teammate, Motorsports Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, advanced to his eighth straight semifinals finish in the Top Fuel category at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in his 12,000-horsepower dragster.

And suffering through engine issues in qualifying and the first round of eliminations, Stewart, who qualified third in the 16-car field, took his machine to victories over Kyle Wurtzel with a 3.894 in the opening race, followed by a 3.908 winning run over former world champion Steve Torrence in round two. The engine issues made for a difficult weekend for the TSR crew with several complete engine changes.

However, “Smoke” and his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT team put in solid showings in eliminations despite the hot and humid weather, and Stewart took on Clay Millican in the semifinals. Both drivers had identical reaction times off the starting line, but Millican’s mount nipped Stewart’s car with a 3.958 to a 3.974, just 0.167 seconds difference at the finish.

With his eighth consecutive semifinals placing, Stewart was able to extend his NHRA Mission Top Fuel points lead to 52 with the NHRA national campaign now traveling to Seattle for the annual NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20.

“It’s been a rough two weeks for us at Richmond and Norwalk,” said Stewart. “But to get to two straight semifinals in the heat and make it to eight straight events makes me proud of our guys. It shows that this team has ‘no quit’ in them. For two weeks in a row, we have put our crew through a test. We are glad we have a couple of weeks off before the West Coast swing. We have a lot of work to do to restock our parts for those two weeks out West.

“I’m happy we kept our 52-point lead, but you can’t overlook Justin (Ashley), who has won the last two races. We are looking for points right now at every race. We just have to keep focused, and I’m proud of where we are at the halfway point of the year. In the big picture. and you look at the last three years, we haven’t had a big parts attrition. I don’t know why we had to have a bunch of them this weekend. We will regroup and have a good Fourth of July with our families. Then we are ready to have a good West Coast trip.”

In the highly competitive FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, defending series champion Mark Pawuk of Richfield, Ohio, scored a popular victory Sunday in his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar_® Drag Pak car when he defeated Scott Libersher in the final round at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals. Pawuk now holds an 80-point lead in the current points standings.

“This is a huge win for me at my home track,” said Pawuk. “I love the Bader family, and they have the best drag racing facility in the country. We had many of our friends and family here today and this is a special day. I have had winning this race on my bucket list for many years. It’s honor to race in front of my fans and then bring home the victory.”

Hagan and Stewart will be back in competition at the NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20 with the opening round of qualifying scheduled for 9:15 p.m. PDT on Friday, July 18. Saturday’s qualifying rounds are set for 12:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. PDT. Final eliminations will be held on Sunday, July 20, at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

The Northwest Nationals telecast will get underway on Sunday, July 20, at 4:30 p.m. EDT/1:30 PDT on the FOX Network.