Event Recap
Tony Stewart, driver of the Rinnai Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster:
Earned No. 15 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (7.283 ET at 87.73 mph)
Earned No. 4 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.741 ET at 328.46 mph)
Maintained No. 4 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Stewart ran a 9.088 ET at 76.27 mph.
Secured No. 4 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Stewart ran a 3.801 ET at 328.94 mph
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Advanced to Round 2 on Sunday:
Round 1: 4.348 ET at 230.96 mph, defeated Billy Torrence (6.302 ET at 180.33 mph)
Round 2: 4.351 ET at 212.56 mph, lost to Shawn Langdon (4.076 ET at 249.39 mph)
Currently seventh in the Top Fuel championship standings, 94 points behind leader Justin Ashley
Matt Hagan, driver of the Operation Healing Forces/Shelor Motor Mile Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
Earned No. 11 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (5.246 ET at 141.92 mph)
Earned No. 6 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.897 ET at 331.36 mph)
Maintained No. 6 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 6.238 ET at 111.06 mph.
Secured No. 6 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 3.955 ET at 329.75 mph.
Eliminated following Round 1 on Sunday:
Round 1: 3.934 ET at 332.67 mph, lost to J.R. Todd (3.943 ET at 310.63 mph)
Currently fifth in the Funny Car championship standings, 137 points behind leader Austin Prock
Notes of Interest
The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals served as the first race in the Countdown to the Championship, with five events remaining.
Stewart has advanced past Round 1 in four consecutive NHRA events (Sonoma, Brainerd and Indianapolis were the three previous events).
Looking ahead to the NHRA Carolina Nationals, Hagan will be looking to earn back-to-back wins in 2024, having won the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in the Spring.
Tony Stewart, Driver of the Rinnai Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster
“I had to pedal the car the first round, which I’m not sure I’m a good gage at whether I do well at that or not. I think the team needs to tell you whether you did well. I got a lot of pats on the back when we got to the pit, so that made me feel good from the driver standpoint. The crew chief (Neal Strausbaugh) gives you a pat on the back and tells you ‘good job,’ but sorry for putting you in that position. I’m really proud of Neal and Mike (Domagala – co-crew chief). That’s three races in a row we’ve qualified inside the top four, so we’re having good qualifying efforts. We’re doing the right things, just need a little bit of luck to put the whole thing together on race day.”
Matt Hagan, Driver of the Operation Healing Forces/Shelor Motor Mile Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car
“It was a pretty tough weekend starting the Countdown in Reading. We obviously lost in the first round on a holeshot. The driver didn’t get the job done, so I have to get home and get back on the practice tree. We’re working on running a little harder and being more aggressive, so hopefully in the next five races, especially the two coming up, we can have some more luck.”
Next Up
The next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the NHRA Carolina Nationals Sept. 20-22 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It marks the second event in the Countdown to the Championship and the fifth-to-last race of the season.
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