*
* Stewart, a rookie Top Fuel driver, gave 2023 World Champion
* Stewart defeated
*
* Competing against former World Champion
* Hagan entered the New England Nationals event after Funny Car victories at
* Hagan currently ranks third in the NHRA Mission Funny Car point standings as the national tour heads to
* Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage
Stewart, in just the eighth Top Fuel competition of his legendary motorsports career, defeated
The
Stewart, who finished second last year in his initial NHRA competition in the Alcohol Dragster class, has been feeling more comfortable in the 335-mile-per-hour, nitro-burning machine and currently ranks ninth in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings.
'On Friday for the first qualifying session, Neal (Strausbaugh, TSR crew chief) and Leah (Pruett, Stewart's wife and past TSR driver) had talked to me about the past three events at this track where they blew the tires off on the first hit,' said Stewart. 'We were able to make two solid runs on Saturday. In Q3, we were the fourth-quickest car of the round. In Q4, we were the third-quickest car. We made four solid runs on both days of qualifying on Friday and Saturday.
'Today, we spun the tires pretty far out against
Stewart's TSR teammate,
After qualifying fifth in the 16-car field, Hagan, the four-time and reigning NHRA Mission World Funny Car Champion, matched up against former World titleholder
Hagan was quicker on reaction time against Capps, but the Rush Truck Services Dodge//SRT Hellcat lost traction just past half track and Capps advanced to the quarterfinals. Despite the first-round loss, Hagan remains third in the NHRA Mission Funny Car point standings as the national tour heads to
'We obviously didn't want to go out the first round, but that is drag racing,' said Hagan. 'We're coming into the heat of the season now. We're trying some new things with the race car, and they aren't working quite like we want them to. Anytime you change one thing, it changes another six things. It'll be part of the learning curve for the next couple races coming up. But this TSR team is very smart, and they'll figure it out. I just need to keep doing my job and the car will come around. I'm anxious for the
Stewart, Hagan and the TSR Dodge//SRT teams will be back in action this Friday (
Television coverage of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals finals will take place on Sunday at
@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and
The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options, including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.
Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.
In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the '#1 Brand in Initial Quality,' making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news, including daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider
Mopar
Mopar is the global name for
A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide
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