Stewart Extends Points Lead with Semifinal Surge at NHRA Thunder Valley

Tony Stewart continues to prove he’s the real deal in Top Fuel, extending his NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series points lead this weekend with a strong semifinal finish at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Driving the 12,000-horsepower Dodge//SRT dragster for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), the Hall of Famer just missed his sixth straight final-round appearance—by less than a foot.

Stewart came into Bristol with a hot streak, having already won events in Las Vegas and Chicago this season. He qualified No. 1 on Saturday with a 3.755-second run and took his first-ever Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win by defeating former world champ Doug Kalitta in the process. That bonus win set the tone for what looked like another deep run.

“I’m really proud of this team,” Stewart said. “We gained five points from the last event. We aren’t continuing our final-round streak, but we are continuing our round one streak—only Top Fuel team to advance past round one in every event this season. The crew chiefs are doing a phenomenal job. They’re getting this car dialed in so that it’s consistent in all conditions.”

In Sunday’s semifinals, Stewart lined up against multi-time champ Steve Torrence and got the starting line advantage. But despite a cut left front tire, Torrence just barely edged him out with a 3.857 to Stewart’s 3.861—just 0.0025 seconds at the stripe.

“The highlight of the weekend for me was the semifinals,” Stewart added. “We made it down the track and we had also cut down the left front tire, but I was able to keep it on the track and almost win.”

With his semifinal finish, Stewart leaves Bristol 76 points ahead in the Top Fuel standings and looks ahead to the NHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond on June 21–22, a special two-day event that could shake up the leaderboard.

On the Funny Car side, it was another heartbreak for Stewart’s TSR teammate Matt Hagan. The four-time world champ qualified a tough 14th and drew Ron Capps in the first round. Hagan got the jump off the line, but the tricky right lane proved tough once again, and Capps got around him by just 0.010 seconds at the finish.

“Obviously, it was a very tough race,” Hagan said. “We’ve had three or four in a row that we’ve just been on the back side of a good drag race and that’s tough. Those are hard to swallow… but I believe in our program, and I believe in our guys.”

Despite the early exit, Hagan still sits fifth in the Funny Car standings and is staying optimistic heading into Richmond. “Mike Knudsen (crew chief) is doing a great job,” Hagan added. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the lane choice, and we knew we had to back it down to get down that right lane. We’re still staying very positive.”

With momentum on their side and strong performances from both drivers despite the challenges, TSR and Dodge//SRT are set to come out swinging at the Virginia Nationals.