Drag RacingNHRA Team News

Racing Legend Tony Stewart Seeks 3rd 2025 Win in His Last Top Fuel Race This Weekend in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Dragster at Pomona

scmotorsportsmedia ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 
Tony Stewart

TSR Teammate Matt Hagan Seeks Another NHRA Pomona Win with
12,000-horsepower TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car

By: Stellantis (Photo Courtesy Stellantis)

  • Racing legend Tony Stewart comes to this weekend’s (Nov. 14-16) In-N-Out NHRA World Finals seeking his third Top Fuel win in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster
  • Stewart, in his second Top Fuel season, has won two Top Fuel NHRA national events at Las Vegas and Chicago this year as well as the regular season points championship
  • Stewart, a series champion in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC, took over the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT dragster last year when he and his wife, Leah, started a family
  • Stewart was runner-up earlier this year at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona for the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals and currently ranks fifth in NHRA Top Fuel points
  • Leah Pruett, who delivered son Dominic last year during the In-N-Out World Finals in Phoenix, will return to the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fueler in 2026
  • Pruett finished one round out of the 2023 World Top Fuel title in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster at the In N Out World Finals in her last Top Fuel race
  • Stewart’s TSR teammate, four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion Matt Hagan, comes to Pomona after winning two weeks ago at Las Vegas and at Seattle and St. Louis races
  • Hagan, the 42-year-old Virginia racer, has won three In N Out World Finals (2011, 2013, 2014) and four Winternationals at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip for seven wins total
  • Hagan, who clinched his fourth World title at Pomona in 2023, currently ranks second in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings in the NHRA Mission season finale

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2025) – Racing legend Tony Stewart seeks his third NHRA Top Fuel victory this weekend (Nov. 14-16) In-N-Out NHRA World Finals drag races at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in his final race at the wheel of the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster.

Stewart, in his second Top Fuel season, has won two Top Fuel NHRA national events at Las Vegas and Chicago this year as well as the regular season points championship. Stewart, a series champion in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC, took over the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster last year when he and wife, Leah, started a family.

Leah Pruett, who delivered son Dominic last year during the In-N-Out World Finals in Phoenix, will return to the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fueler in 2026, while Stewart moves to the TSR/Elite Motorsports Top Fuel dragster next year. Pruett finished one round out of the 2023 World Top Fuel title in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster at the In-N-Out World Finals in her last Top Fuel race, placing runner-up to Doug Kalitta.

Stewart was runner-up earlier this year at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona for the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals and currently ranks fifth in NHRA Top Fuel points.

“Our TSR Top Fuel team and I were hoping we would be in a position to race for the World Championship at the end of the season,” said Stewart. “But the goal at the beginning of the season was to just see the needle move in the right direction. And winning two races and winning the regular season championship and then having an opportunity to race for the World Championship was moving the right direction. I’m proud of what the team has done this year and proud of the moves we’ve all made. I’m definitely looking forward to getting Leah (Pruett) back in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel car next year and I’m excited about getting ready to run for TSR/Elite Motorsports and being in their Top Fuel car.

“On the Funny Car side, I’m extremely proud of Mike Knudsen (crew chief) and Phil Schuler (co-crew chief) and what they’ve done with Matt (Hagan). It was a massive change in the program from last year with a new crew chief change and co-crew chief change. Seeing what those guys have been able to do this season and still having a shot at winning the World Championship at Pomona is great. Not to mention, growing our family with Dominic has made for an awesome year. Now, here we are year later and Dominic’s a year old and to have the experience at the racetrack with him this season was something that we can’t even put into words. Having your son grow and being at the racetrack every weekend just added to the experience, so this year has been amazing.”

Stewart’s TSR teammate, four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion Matt Hagan, comes to Pomona after winning two weeks ago at Las Vegas and at Seattle and St. Louis races in 2025.

Hagan, the 42-year-old Virginia racer, has won three In-N-Out World Finals (2011, 2013, 2014) and four Winternationals (2015, 2017, 2018, 2023) at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip for seven wins total at the famed Fairgrounds drag strip. 

Hagan, who clinched his fourth World title at Pomona in 2023, currently ranks second in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings in the NHRA Mission season finale, and the veteran racer expects another good chance for a victory in his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car this weekend.

“The season has been even better than I expected having a new crew chief (Knudsen) making the calls and new decisions,” said Hagan, who is 101 points behind leader Austin Prock. “Having an opportunity to win the World Championship in Pomona is huge. We’ve been second in points for a lot of the Countdown and that’s been really impressive. It’s great that we’ve been able to win three races this year. Expectations are always high because we have sponsors like Dodge and Direct Connection that pay a lot of money every weekend to get exposure. We also have to consider that there is a learning phase to what we do out here. I’m really impressed with Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler, Alex Conaway and all the guys we have working on the car. It’s exciting to see what the future holds after having such a great first season together.”

“To be in contention for a fifth Funny Car World Championship is huge. It would put me in a class with John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme. It’s unbelievable and it’s going to come down to me and the kid (Prock) for the title at Pomona. We have a lot of growing left to do, but it’s been a very promising season. We’ll do what we can and it’s exciting to see how the cards will fall.”

The nitro competition for the upcoming In-N-Out NHRA World Finals gets underway on Friday (Nov. 14) with two qualifying rounds set for 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. PST, followed by Saturday’s (Nov. 15) qualifying sessions at 11:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. PST. The final eliminations will begin on Sunday (Nov. 16) at 11 a.m. PST with the national telecast scheduled for 5 p.m. EST/ 2 p.m. PST on the FOX Sports 1 Network.