ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS: TONY STEWART RACING PREVIEW

By: Tony Stewart Racing (Photos Courtesy TSR)

JOLIET, Ill. (May 14, 2026) – With a quarter of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season already past, Tony Stewart Racing enters this weekend’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals with both Matt Hagan’s Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car and Leah Pruett’s Dodge Top Fuel dragster sitting third in their respective points categories.

Hagan, a 56-time Funny Car national event winner, has had a quarter final finish or better through the first five races with a win and two semi-final finishes. His victory at the NHRA Winternationals extended his streak of seasons with at least one victory to 14. The Dodge//SRT team has qualified in the top five at each event. They are coming off a No. 4 qualifying effort and quarter final exit at the Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to Chicago and a good race track, both lanes are smooth and it’s a stadium style arena, but the biggest thing is just side-by-side racing. I think last race in Georgia was tough, it was a new race track for us and lane choice really mattered,” Hagan said. “Chicago has always been a really good track and we’re able to put on a good show. I’m looking forward to getting back to it. I’m looking forward to getting back to racing after our week off.”

The four-time Funny Car world champion has tallied four wins in five final round appearances at Route 66 Raceway. His wins came in 2010, 2013, 2014 and most recently in 2024. Hagan also earned No. 1 qualifier positions in 2016 and 2018. In 2025, he qualified No. 3 and had a semi-final finish.

“Route 66 Raceway is just one of those tracks where it has good vibes, it’s always treated me pretty well. I’ve got a lot of good memories here. I set a national record during one of my wins and it was back when you had to back it up, so winning that weekend was a wild deal. There was a big thunderstorm that came in that put racing behind a couple hours but conditions got really good afterwards. We were really able to lay it down and we went out there and officially set the national record and win the race. It was wild,” Hagan said. “And then two of my wins, they came at the expense of John Force. That’s something, as a driver, I’m super honored to be able to say that I’ve competed against him, battled it out for race wins and championships. Racing a guy who has had a hand in the evolution of the sport, it’s cool and I’m glad I got to race with him. He’s one of the best there ever will be. To have raced him here in the Chicago finals and gotten the win against him twice, that means a lot. It just was always an honor to race John.”

Hagan is on the verge of another milestone in his Hall of Fame caliber career. Already named to NHRA’s top 75 drivers of all time, Hagan’s next final round appearance will be his 100th in the professional ranks of NHRA.

“Wow, my next final round will be my 100th that’s a pretty wild stat there. I guess what pops in my head at first is I’ve been out here doing this a while and I’m getting old. But, you know I’m a little better than 50-50 on wins so I’m just hoping that next final round was as good as my last, winning the Winternationals,” Hagan said. “Nonetheless man, I’m really blessed to have those and to have had the opportunity. You can do everything right and still get everything wrong and you aren’t guaranteed to be blessed to win the trophy and the money and the bonus for the guys. Just having 100 opportunities to win trophies, to have won 56 of them, I’m ready for the next one.

In Top Fuel, Leah Pruett looks as if she never stepped out of the driver’s seat for two years to start a family. She returns to the Route 66 Nationals for the first time since 2023 looking for her first win in Chicago. Her Dodge Top Fuel dragster team has advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond each of her five starts this year, earning runner-up honors at the Arizona Nationals and a No. 1 qualifying start at the Winternantionals in Southern California. After a No. 8 qualifying start and second round exit at the the Southern Nationals at South Georgian Motorsports Park, Pruett stayed and tested.

“Testing overall went very well as we continue to put together pieces in a much larger picture. We’ve absolutely had steady progression through these first five races,” Pruett said. “Our first Wally of the year is in the crossharis. It’s so close, I can feel it. That feeling is mutual throughout our pit.”

Adding to that confidence this weekend is knowing the team surrounding her are technically coming in as defending event winners. In 2025, with Pruett’s husband Tony Stewart in the driver’s seat, the TSR Dodge Top Fuel dragster raced to victory. It was their second win of the 2025 season.

“I believe Chicago and this team have had a good working relationship. So yes, it gives me even more confidence coming into this event,” Pruett said. “Tony winning and bringing our son Dom to the winners circle was a great memory and I’m looking forward to making the Chicago family picture full circle with a win of my own this weekend.”

Competition at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET.