Hagan Takes TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat to Funny Car Final at NHRA Summit Nationals, Stewart Scores Eighth Straight Semifinals Finish

June 30, 2025 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  Four-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan exhibited phenomenal driving skills Sunday in his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat, posting a runner-up finish at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals while his TSR Dodge//SRT teammate Tony Stewart drove to his eighth consecutive 2025 semifinals finish in the Top Fuel class.
 
Hagan, the 52-time NHRA national race winner from Christiansburg, Virginia, defeated three former world champions – J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon – enroute to the final round against reigning world champion Austin Prock. Hagan’s starting line prowess at Summit Motorsports Park was outstanding with two impressive 0.052 reaction times and a 0.050 in the final against Prock.
 
Despite Hagan’s quick reaction time in the final round, the driver of the Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat wasn’t able to hold off a charging Prock at the finish line, as Prock clocked a 4.064 to Hagan's 4.095. Hagan held the advantage over Prock at halfway, and the difference was just 0.0166 seconds at the finish.
 
In earlier eliminations, Hagan defeated Todd with a 3.976 pass in round one, Beckman with a 4.088 in round two and Pedregon with a 4.127 in the semifinals in 88-degree air temperature and a 144-degree track surface.
 
“As for driving the race car, it was a lot of fun this weekend,” said Hagan. “When they go fast and straight, that’s great, but today you didn’t know what to expect. You could drop a cylinder, and the car was going right and left. It was a great healing weekend for our TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT crew, since we have been losing some very close drag races lately. We went out against some big players each round, including J.R. (Todd) in the first round because we know what Dickie (Venables, Hagan’s former TSR crew chief) can do in these conditions. Then two close ones with Jack (Beckman) and Cruz (Pedregon, No. 1 qualifier) to get to the final.
 
“I knew I had to cut a good light against Austin (Prock). And we ran 0.050 light against that kid and that was good. I never saw him until the finish line. And we put out a cylinder at the 300-foot mark. I think Mike (Knudson, the new TSR crew chief) has been doing a great job as it is his first time as crew chief. I think things are really turning around for us now with the hot conditions and we are at the halfway point now. I am extremely proud of this TSR Dodge//SRT team. They work hard in the heat and do a fantastic job. And it was fun to have the Dodge folks down to see us from Detroit too.”
 
Hagan’s TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT teammate, Motorsports Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, advanced to his eighth straight semifinals finish in the Top Fuel category at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in his 12,000-horsepower dragster.
 
And suffering through engine issues in qualifying and the first round of eliminations, Stewart, who qualified third in the 16-car field, took his machine to victories over Kyle Wurtzel with a 3.894 in the opening race, followed by a 3.908 winning run over former world champion Steve Torrence in round two. The engine issues made for a difficult weekend for the TSR crew with several complete engine changes.
 
However, “Smoke” and his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT team put in solid showings in eliminations despite the hot and humid weather, and Stewart took on Clay Millican in the semifinals. Both drivers had identical reaction times off the starting line, but Millican’s mount nipped Stewart’s car with a 3.958 to a 3.974, just 0.167 seconds difference at the finish.
 
With his eighth consecutive semifinals placing, Stewart was able to extend his NHRA Mission Top Fuel points lead to 52 with the NHRA national campaign now traveling to Seattle for the annual NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20.
 
“It’s been a rough two weeks for us at Richmond and Norwalk,” said Stewart. “But to get to two straight semifinals in the heat and make it to eight straight events makes me proud of our guys. It shows that this team has ‘no quit’ in them. For two weeks in a row, we have put our crew through a test. We are glad we have a couple of weeks off before the West Coast swing. We have a lot of work to do to restock our parts for those two weeks out West.
 
“I’m happy we kept our 52-point lead, but you can’t overlook Justin (Ashley), who has won the last two races. We are looking for points right now at every race. We just have to keep focused, and I’m proud of where we are at the halfway point of the year. In the big picture. and you look at the last three years, we haven’t had a big parts attrition. I don’t know why we had to have a bunch of them this weekend. We will regroup and have a good Fourth of July with our families. Then we are ready to have a good West Coast trip.”
 
In the highly competitive FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, defending series champion Mark Pawuk of Richfield, Ohio, scored a popular victory Sunday in his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak car when he defeated Scott Libersher in the final round at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals. Pawuk now holds an 80-point lead in the current points standings.
 
“This is a huge win for me at my home track,” said Pawuk. “I love the Bader family, and they have the best drag racing facility in the country. We had many of our friends and family here today and this is a special day. I have had winning this race on my bucket list for many years. It’s honor to race in front of my fans and then bring home the victory.”
 
Hagan and Stewart will be back in competition at the NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20 with the opening round of qualifying scheduled for 9:15 p.m. PDT on Friday, July 18. Saturday’s qualifying rounds are set for 12:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. PDT. Final eliminations will be held on Sunday, July 20 at 10:30 a.m. PDT.
 
The Northwest Nationals telecast will get underway on Sunday, July 20, at 4:30 p.m. EDT/1:30 PDT on the FOX Network.
 
Direct Connection
The Direct Connection portfolio, available online and through the Dodge Power Brokers dealer network, includes modern performance, crate engine, race and vintage muscle high-performance products for Dodge performance vehicles, offering factory street, strip and track performance parts developed by SRT engineers and backed by a Mopar warranty for peace of mind.
 
Performance enthusiasts and racers can access the Direct Connection hotline at (800) 998-1110 for technical and race support. More information on Direct Connection and Dodge Power Brokers is available at DCPerformance.com.
 
@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 Mission 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 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge, America’s performance brand, shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

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 2025 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 gas engine SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact-utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

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 Stellantis (NYSE: STLA).
  
Mopar
Mopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.

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.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at www.blog.mopar.com. 

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