Hagan Narrowly Misses Win at NHRA Carolina Nationals

At the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, Dodge//SRT teams, led by reigning NHRA Funny Car Champion Matt Hagan and Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), put on a strong performance but fell just short of victory. Hagan, driving the TSR Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT HELLCAT, secured the No. 1 qualifying position with a season-best 3.832-second run, advancing to his 92nd career Funny Car final. However, despite his impressive efforts, he narrowly missed the win in the final round.

Hagan’s path to the finals saw him take wins over Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III. Facing current NHRA Mission Funny Car points leader Austin Prock in the final, Hagan reacted quicker at the starting line with a .051 reaction time compared to Prock’s .070. However, Hagan’s 3.958-second pass was narrowly outpaced by Prock’s 3.924-second run, resulting in a close runner-up finish.

Reflecting on the race, Hagan remained optimistic: “It was a good weekend for the TSR JHG Dodge team. We were trying really, really hard to get that win. The win is coming. It’s just a matter of time with how hard this group works behind the scenes. I would have liked to have pulled the car into the winner’s circle, but we’ll get there. We’ll roll into St. Louis with some confidence.”

Hagan’s performance moved him up to fourth place in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the series heads to the NHRA Gateway Nationals near St. Louis, set for Sept. 27-29.

In the Top Fuel category, Tony Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner and driver, faced reigning Top Fuel World Champion Doug Kalitta in a tough first-round battle. Stewart’s Mahindra Tractors TSR Dodge//SRT dragster ran well until the halfway point, where the car lost traction, resulting in an early exit. Despite the first-round loss, Stewart remains in eighth place in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings.

“This just wasn’t our weekend,” Stewart said. “We qualified 14th, and the car didn’t make it down the track during the money run on Friday night. We had a very uncommon error, but we addressed it. We’re one team, all team, and all the guys rallied around what happened. Now, we’ll head to St. Louis for another strong weekend.”

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Ida Zetterström, in just her fourth NHRA professional event, also faced challenges at zMAX Dragway. Driving the JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster, she went up against former champion Brittany Force in the first round. In hot conditions, both cars struggled with traction, but Zetterström’s car shut off before she could regain control, preventing her from advancing.

“We made it down the track on Saturday night in really hot and tricky conditions, and we ran the quickest pass of the left lane,” said Zetterström. “I felt like we had a good chance going into the first round. I was actually ahead for a good part of the race, but as I spun the tires, my car shut off, so I never really had the opportunity to ‘pedal’ the throttle. I heard Brittany ‘pedal’ her car, and she was behind me. This would have been an opportunity for me to have my first NHRA ‘pedalfest,’ but we’ll save that for another time.”

The NHRA Gateway Nationals, the third event in the six-race NHRA “Countdown” to the Championship, will take place at World Wide Technology Raceway from Sept. 27-29. Nitro qualifying begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. CDT and 8:00 p.m. CDT, with additional sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at 11:00 a.m. CDT.

Fans can catch all the action on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), with early qualifying rounds airing Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and final eliminations on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 3:00 p.m. EDT.