TSR Nitro Battles Through the Heat at Virginia NHRA Nationals

This past weekend at the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, the TSR Nitro team showed up with fire in their eyes and American Rebel Beer on their flanks. Racing in the heart of Virginia, Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan strapped into their Dodge//SRT machines ready to put on a show—and they didn’t disappoint.

Tony Stewart, piloting the American Rebel Beer Top Fuel Dragster, had a rocky start during qualifying. His best attempt came in Q1 on Saturday with a 10.187-second run at just 67.80 mph, good enough for the No. 14 spot. Despite the early struggles, Stewart found his rhythm when it mattered most—Sunday eliminations.

In Round 1, Stewart rocketed down the track with a 3.872 ET at 318.99 mph, the quickest run of the round, and knocked out Brittany Force. A lucky bye in Round 2 gave him a free pass into the Semifinals. But an early red light against Shawn Langdon ended his day.

“I was in a hurry during the Semifinals,” Stewart admitted. “It’s a compliment to Shawn. He’s one of the best leavers in this class right now. We couldn’t leave anything on the table. I just let my team down today. Qualifying was tough, and I had my struggles, but I’m proud of our American Rebel Light team for making it to the Semifinals again.”

Even with the red light, Stewart continues to lead the Top Fuel points standings, holding a 32-point lead over Langdon. He also remains the only Top Fuel driver to advance past the first round at every event this season.

Matt Hagan, meanwhile, rolled into his home state track—just 190 miles from his hometown of Christiansburg—with plenty of optimism and a new chassis under his belt. After grabbing the No. 6 qualifying spot with a solid 4.039 ET at 319.07 mph, Hagan entered Sunday looking to go rounds.

In Round 1, his 4.088 ET at 321.12 mph was fast, but not fast enough to beat Hunter Green’s 4.064-second pass. Still, the weekend had some takeaways.

“One of the positives from this weekend is that we qualified in the top half,” said Hagan. “We’re trying a couple different cars we’ve had success with. The car is running good—we’ve just been on the backside of some tight races. If I had cut a .060-second light today, we’d be going rounds. It’s a team effort. We win and lose together. Now we look ahead to Norwalk.”

The Virginia Nationals also marked a major spotlight for American Rebel Beer, which served as the primary sponsor of both TSR entries as well as the event itself. Founded in 2024, the brand is making waves not only on store shelves but also on the dragstrip with its bold taste and unapologetic American values.

Next up, the TSR Nitro team heads to Norwalk, Ohio, for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, where Stewart will take on Shawn Langdon in a highly anticipated rematch as part of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. With momentum still rolling, both drivers are eager to turn the corner and make a deeper push as the season heats up.