Event Recap
Leah Pruett, driver of the Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster:
- Earned No. 14 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (6.397 ET at 102.61 mph)
- Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.676 ET at 332.84 mph)
- Scored two bonus points for third-quickest run of the session
- Maintained No. 3 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Pruett ran a 3.751 ET at 327.51 mph.
- Secured No. 6 qualifying position in Q4 on Saturday (3.674 ET at 336.40 mph)
- Advanced to Finals on Sunday:
- Round 1: 3.708 ET at 331.53 mph, defeated Tony Schumacher (4.107 ET at 218.94 mph)
- Round 2: 4.138 ET at 263.15 mph, defeated Antron Brown (5.134 ET at 155.06 mph)Semifinals: 3.717 ET at 331.04 mph, defeated Steve Torrence (3.765 ET at 318.69 mph)
- Finals: 3.720 ET at 326.16 mph, lost to Doug Kalitta (3.673 ET at 334.98 mph)
- Finished third in the Top Fuel championship standings, 57 points behind champion Doug Kalitta
Matt Hagan, driver of the Dodge Direct Connection Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
- Earned No. 2 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.933 ET at 332.51 mph)
- Scored three bonus points for second-quickest run of the session
- Earned No. 1 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.869 ET at 328.46 mph)
- Scored four bonus points for quickest run of the session
- Maintained No. 1 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 3.994 ET at 321.27 mph.
- Secured No. 4 qualifying position based off Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 3.963 ET at 304.46 mph.
- Advanced to Round 2 on Sunday:
- Round 1: 3.945 ET at 327.11 mph, defeated Alex Laughlin (5.272 ET at 155.76 mph)
- Round 2: 4.251 ET at 261.52 mph, lost to Blake Alexander (4.196 ET at 258.71 mph)
- Finished first in the Funny Car championship standings, 12 points ahead of Robert Hight
Notes of Interest
- Hagan earned his fourth Funny Car championship. His previous championships came in 2011, 2014 and 2020. Hagan is just the fourth Funny Car driver to win as many as four championships after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme.
- Pruett finished third in the Top Fuel championship standings, which is the highest she’s ever finished.
- Despite losing in the finals, Pruett’s final-round appearance marks her best result at NHRA Finals.
Leah Pruett, Driver of the Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster
“The Pomona world finals has lived up to every ounce of being the mac daddy of them all. All of the national events are big. The Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway was huge. But really, on paper and in my heart, there’s nothing bigger than the final race of the season when you have an opportunity to run for a championship. Our day started out with a very heavy workload ahead of us, and throughout our wins during the day, we continued to prove that nothing is impossible. I will never forget a semifinal with four cars left. That round, the pressure was on for everyone to make it to the final to be in championship contention. I respect Steve (Torrence) immensely, but we put a stop to his championship and I continued to have laser focus and so did the team into our final round against Doug Kalitta. It’s wild to know that it’s been 32 or so years since it’s been winner-take-all for the final and that’s what it was on the line. I want it be known that our heads are not low today and our Dodge Direct Connection team performed like champions. Doug has deserved it for a long time, but today he earned it against us. In reflection to our first year to where we are now, our work has shown that we have a consistent performing race car in the final round. We were set up to run at .63 which would’ve been Neal’s (Strausbaugh) career best. It was the best finish to my career. We put it all out there, but the tire stuck on the line. We still ran a .72 and put us in the hunt. That is when you know you have a race car even when you miss it you still have an opportunity. Reflecting on today with Matt (Hagan) winning the championship and having it within our scope to double as champions is something that is never going to leave my sights. I’ve never felt more deserving of my team as I did today. It was a comprehensive effort all the way around and our second-round win against Antron (Brown) was pivotal. Winning on a pedal fest is always good for the driver, but rebounding as a team through the semi’s to defeat Torrence with such a high-stakes round is definitely (with all due respect), a feather in your cap. Being able to perform under pressure when needed and maintaining that all day, but falling short to Kalitta in the final is part of the process because there’s always only going to be one winner. I know with this team and the progress we’ve made since our inception, we will be back in a Pomona situation fighting for many championships to come. I’m proud to be the only Dodge car in that fight. It is a representation of engineering and support that takes place throughout the season and finally showing end-of-the-year results feels really good. One very large component to my success today was Tony (Stewart) mentioning last night that our team had attained his expectations coming into this race and anything that happened today would just amplify that, which gave me the green pass to feel like I can race without fear or hesitation. I feel like I was the best race car driver I could be and there’s no price you can put on that going into the off-season as we prepare to rebound.”
Matt Hagan, Driver of the Dodge Direct Connection Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
“I was doing some praying today entering the race. I hadn’t prayed to my mom since we lost her this year. And I said, ‘I don’t know what you are doing up there, but I sure could use some help today from you and my brother.’ You hate to see someone go out in the second round to win a championship. I don’t wish losing on anyone. That’s not my style of racing. But it was the body of work that we did all year with Dickie Venables, Mike Knudsen, Alex Conaway and the whole TSR Dodge Direct Connection team. We were in position to win the championship if everyone went out in the same round as us. And the cards fell that way for us. We won six races and twice were runner-up which should give you a good chance for the title. It’s incredible that Tony Stewart can be the World Champion in his second year in the NHRA. He has put together an outstanding team. Some team owners have put in millions and millions of dollars in NHRA racing and never won a championship. It speaks volumes that the leader Tony is and the people he has assembled around him. We had a fire in the car in the last qualifying run last night and I got a piece of metal in my eye. So, I was up since 3:00 a.m. trying to flush my eye out. It was scratched a little. I think that might have kept me from thinking about the eliminations today. In the race against Blake (Alexander) in the second round, I knew I started to smoke the tires and then I saw him do the same. I was chasing him at that point and almost caught him. It was close. Then when Chad Green, who is a good friend, beat Robert Hight, I ran over to him after his race and said, ‘Raise up your visor, cause I want to kiss you on the lips!’ I owe him beer for sure. We have a family atmosphere in the pits. And Robert (Hight) ran over and congratulated me too. And what do I say to the guy because I have been there too on the losing end. Thank you to our NHRA fans. Without them we wouldn’t have sponsors like Dodge, Direct Connection, American Rebel, Rinnai, Johnsons Horsepowered Garage and many others. To be mentioned in a caliber of four Funny Car championship-winning drivers like John Force, Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein is just unbelievable. I just know I’m not that good because I have surrounded myself with people better than me. Overall, I’m overwhelmed with this championship. I really can’t put it into words. After 21 races, the championship comes down to the final race to determine the title with Robert and Bob (Tasca III). That’s great racing. And the pressure for everyone is very emotional with the ups and downs. But this is why we do it.”
Tony Stewart, Team Owner
“I’m so proud of Matt (Hagan). He is one of the best cheerleaders for a racing team that I know. He never lets his crew guys get down. He makes my job so much easier as a car owner. He is my little big brother. To lock this championship already in the Tony Stewart Racing Nitro history, this is an unbelievable day. Thank you to every one of our partners, crew, support workers and fans, we greatly appreciate all of the effort for the 2023 season.”
Next Up
The 2024 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season kicks off March 8-10 with the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.
Ashley Wilson | Tony Stewart Racing
