Tony Stewart & Matt Hagan
Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel & Funny Car Drivers
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
Nov. 15-17 | Pomona, California
Event Overview
Friday, Nov. 15 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
- Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. EST
- Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 4:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. EST
Saturday, Nov. 16 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
- Nitro qualifying session (Q3): 12:30 p.m. PST/3:30 p.m. EST
- Nitro qualifying session (Q4): 3 p.m. PST/6 p.m. EST
Sunday, Nov. 17 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on NHRA.TV)
- Round 1: 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST
- Round 2: 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST
- Semifinals: 2:30 p.m. PST/5:30 p.m. EST
- Finals: 4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EST
TV coverage on FS1
- Sunday, Nov. 17: Qualifying show recapping Friday’s and Saturday’s action (10 a.m. EST)
- Sunday, Nov. 17: Finals show (4 p.m. EST)
Notes of Interest
- This weekend’s In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip is the 20th and final race on the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ schedule, and the iconic California venue is where the six-race Countdown to the Championship culminates. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Tony Stewart (Top Fuel) and Matt Hagan (Funny Car) both made the Countdown in 2024, with Stewart securing his first Countdown appearance while Hagan earned his spot in the NHRA postseason for the 13th time.
- Stewart enters Pomona tied with Shawn Reed in ninth in the Top Fuel standings, 260 points behind championship leader Justin Ashley. Hagan is fourth in the Funny Car championship standings, 258 points behind leader Austin Prock.
- Justin Ashley remains in the Top Fuel points lead, and he’ll take a 44- and 45-point advantage over Antron Brown and Shawn Langdon, respectively, into the finale.
- In Funny Car, the championship is a mere formality for Austin Prock, who leads teammate Jack Beckman by 188 points. Prock will officially clinch the world title at the NHRA Finals when he makes his first qualifying run.
- Every single Top Fuel and Funny Car pass the championship contenders make this weekend in Pomona matters. The finale delivers points-and-a-half.
- The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals will be Hagan’s 352nd career Funny Car start. It’ll be his 31st overall start at Pomona and his 15th in the NHRA Finals.
- Hagan shares with Robert Hight the record for Countdown wins in the Funny Car division with 16. He has won at least one Countdown race in a category best five consecutive seasons (excluding the Covid-shortened 2020 season in which there was no Countdown). The only active drivers with more Countdown wins overall are Antron Brown and Greg Anderson, each with 17.
- Earlier this year when the NHRA visited Pomona March 22-24, Hagan secured the No. 1 qualifying position and advanced to the Finals. The NHRA was unable to run on Sunday due to weather, so the Finals were contested at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Hagan faced John Force, where his 4.048 ET, 283.61 mph run was defeated by Force’s 4.033 ET, 318.24 mph run.
- Hagan has three career wins at the NHRA Finals (2011, 2013 and 2014). In his first victory in 2011, Hagan ran a 4.009 ET at 317.79 mph to defeat Robert Hight (4.031 ET at 318.92 mph). In 2013, Hagan ran a 4.018 ET at 320.66 mph to defeat John Force (4.057 ET at 317.94 mph). And in 2014, Hagan clocked a 4.076 ET at 310.77 mph to defeat John Force (4.086 ET at 276.58 mph).
- Hagan has two No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Finals, which came in 2011 (4.033 ET at 316.27 mph) and 2019 (3.872 ET at 333.58 mph).
- Hagan earned Tony Stewart Racing’s first Funny Car championship at the 2023 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. It marked Hagan’s fourth Funny Car championship, where he became just the fourth Funny Car driver to win as many as four championships after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme.
- The NHRA Finals will be Stewart’s 20th career Top Fuel start. It’ll be his second overall start at Pomona and his first in the NHRA Finals.
- Stewart is seeking his first Top Fuel victory at the NHRA Finals, as well as his first No. 1 qualifier. At the 64th NHRA Winternationals earlier this season, Stewart ran a 8.841 ET at 76.15 mph in Round 1 of eliminations on Sunday and lost to Steve Torrence (3.695 ET at 336.65 mph).
- Stewart is trying to become the 27th Top Fuel driver to win a Countdown race and the first rookie to do so since Josh Hart won the 2021 Carolina Nationals.
- Stewart is eligible for the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year award, which will be announced at the conclusion of the season. The eight racers eligible for this year’s award include Top Fuel’s Jasmine Salinas, Stewart and Ida Zetterstrom; Funny Car’s Daniel Wilkerson; Pro Stock’s Brandon Foster, Derrick Reese, and Sienna Wildgust; and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Richard Gadson. The NHRA Rookie of the Year award recognizes the top rookie competitor who also represents the future of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. The nation’s leading auto racing journalists select the winner through a voting system based on the following criteria: number of events competed in, performance on and off the racetrack, participation in NHRA promotions, and relationships with fans, sponsors, and media.
- Direct Connection is the primary partner of Hagan and Stewart this weekend in Pomona. With muscle car enthusiasts looking for “ready to run” parts, Direct Connection serves as the source for high-performance parts and technical expertise straight from the factory.
Tony Stewart, Driver of the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster
How would you describe your first year in Top Fuel?
“It is mixed emotions. It has been really fun learning to drive a Top Fuel car and do it right. It’s one thing to just drive it, but learning all the intricacies of it is another thing. I’ve had a big advantage that a lot of rookies don’t have. I have Matt Hagan and my wife Leah (Pruett) as a coach. It’s like going to high school and getting the cliff notes version to whatever you’re supposed to read. You learn all the things you need to know. Having these two around has helped shorten the learning curve drastically. I’ve really enjoyed learning it. It’s been no secret that we’re not happy with the performance of our car, but I love our guys and I’m proud of the work they’re putting in. The results don’t match the effort that’s going into these cars. We just need some luck and get some stuff figured out to get to where we want to be.”
What would it mean to win 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year?
“It would be a big honor if we’re able to win that award this season. There are some great drivers in the NHRA and it’s one of the most diverse forms of motorsports I’ve been a part of. I’ve had a really good time working with the series this season to promote and continuing to grow the sport.”
Matt Hagan, Driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
How would you describe the conclusion of the 2024 season heading into the finale in Pomona?
“I’m been very blessed to always be in the championship hunt with the team we have and always have a chance to run down the title. I don’t think a lot of folks can say that. I always come into Pomona very focused and try to be where my feet are. You have to be there for the crew guys and it’s a huge race. It looks like (Austin) Prock is going to lock it up, but it seems like it always comes down to the last race. After having a rough weekend in Vegas, I’m hoping we can pull the car out in Pomona and take a deep breath and get a good baseline. I’m sure they’ll crown Prock as soon as he rolls into the beams during qualifying, but you have to tip your hat to those guys. 13 number one qualifiers they won eight races so far. They really hit a sweet spot. We have some work to do over the winter, so that’s what we plan to do, get to work.”
-TSR-
