Tony Stewart Racing Heads To NHRA New England Nationals This Weekend!

Hagan Is The Favorite To Win The Event...

Robert S. Miller June 3, 2022

Matt Hagan piloting his Dodge Power Brokers Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car. (Mopar).

This weekend the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series heads to New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. It marks the 8th event of the 22 event schedule for the 2022 season. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) brings its two full-time entries – one in Top Fuel for nine-time event winner Leah Pruett and one in Funny Car for three-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan.

Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett, along with their Dodge Power Brokers Rides. (Mopar).

Dodge Power Broke rs and Direct Connection return to Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster and Hagan’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car this weekend in Epping. The Dodge Power Brokers program serves as the exclusive source for Direct Connection, Dodge’s factory-backed performance parts program, which is equipped with staff trained to deliver a performance-focused customer service experience.

Pruett is looking for her first victory at the New England Nationals. She has two No. 1 qualifiers at Epping, which came in 2017 (3.673 ET @ 328.86 mph) and 2018 (3.742 ET @ 324.51 mph). Her 2017 run made Pruett the current track record holder for an elapsed time at Epping, a mark she set on June 3rd.

Leah Pruett piloting her Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster. (Mopar).

Hagan comes into New Hampshire as the Funny Car favorite, having three career New England National wins in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2017, he defeated Courtney Force with a 3.897 ET @ 332.59 mph (compared to Force’s 3.927 ET @ 332.34 mph). In 2018, Hagan’s 4.156 ET @ 292.01 mph defeated Tim Wilkerson (4.181 ET @ 287.35 mph). In 2019, Hagan defeated Shawn Langdon with a 4.014 ET @ 322.81 mph run (compared to Langdon’s 4.046 ET @ 317.49 mph). Hagan has two No. 1 qualifiers at the event, which came in 2018 (3.932 ET at 322.03 mph) and 2021 (3.891 ET @ 331.53 mph).

The New England Nationals is one of six tour events Hagan has won three times, and it is the only one he has won three consecutive times. The other races where Hagan has three wins are the two Pomona events (Winternationals and Auto Club Finals), Phoenix, Dallas, and the fall race at Las Vegas.

Matt Hagan piloting his Dodge Power Brokers Dodge Charger Funny Car. (Mopar).

Hagan is the only pro driver in any category with as many as three wins at the New England Nationals. John Force, Ron Capps, Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher, and Greg Anderson all have two wins apiece.

Hagan comes into Epping leading the Funny Car championship standings with a 15-point advantage over Robert Hight. Through seven races, Hagan’s average starting position is No. 3 (Two No. 1s, a No. 2, a No. 3, two No. 4s, and one No. 8). That’s the best average starting performance of his career through the first 7 events.

Event Schedule –

Friday, June 3rd (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)