Tony Stewart Racing Prepares for the NHRA Northwest Nationals

Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) is revving up for the NHRA Northwest Nationals, the first stop of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ two-week “Western Swing.” This event, held from July 19-21 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, marks the 11th event on the NHRA’s 20-race calendar and promises to be a thrilling showcase of Top Fuel and Funny Car action.

Event Overview –

TSR brings two full-time entries to the competition: one in Top Fuel for rookie Tony Stewart and another in Funny Car for 51-time Funny Car winner and four-time champion Matt Hagan. Both drivers are eager to make their mark at this iconic event.

Tony Stewart’s Top Fuel Debut at Pacific Raceways –

Tony Stewart, currently ninth in the Top Fuel standings, is looking forward to his first race at Pacific Raceways. “Seattle is the first race of the two-race Western Swing and starts the second half of the season. We’re just trying to keep building off the momentum that we’ve had the last couple of weekends, even though we don’t have the results to show for it,” Stewart said. “I’m still learning as a driver, and our team is still trying to figure out how to work around the variables that we seem to be fighting this year, so it’s just a work in progress.”

Stewart is particularly excited about the Friday night qualifying session under the lights, a first for Pacific Raceways. “I’m excited that the promoters were willing to do a fourth run and do a night session on Friday for the fans,” he said. “It’s a place that I’ve had a lot of success and is one of my favorite racetracks. It will be a pretty neat weekend, having had the opportunity to run the road course in the past and now the dragstrip, so I’m excited for it.”

Matt Hagan Eyes Consistency –

Matt Hagan, third in the Funny Car standings, has his sights set on improving consistency as the regular season winds down. “I think we need to use these next four races to really get our car dialed in and develop a bit more consistency,” Hagan said. “I’m confident we can do that before the Countdown starts. Once the Countdown gets here, I think you need to win two or three of those six races to be a contender for the championship again.”

Hagan, who won the NHRA Northwest Nationals in 2013, is also looking forward to the added excitement of the night session. “It’s always awesome whenever we get to run under the lights,” he said. “I wish we had more races at night because it creates great conditions and is an awesome show for our fans. Any time fans get to see six-foot flames coming out of the car at 300 miles per hour, it’s a really neat show.”

Schedule Highlights –

The NHRA Northwest Nationals schedule includes several must-see events, all streamed live on NHRA.TV:

Friday, July 19 (Nitro Qualifying)

• Q1: 4:30 p.m. PDT / 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Q2: 9:15 p.m. PDT / 12:15 a.m. EDT

Saturday, July 20 (Nitro Qualifying & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge)

• Q3 & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge – Round 1: 2:30 p.m. PDT / 5:30 p.m. EDT
• Q3 & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge – Round 1: 3 p.m. PDT / 6 p.m. EDT
• Q4 & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge – Finals: 4:45 p.m. PDT / 7:45 p.m. EDT
• Q4 & Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge – Finals: 5:15 p.m. PDT / 8:15 p.m. EDT

Sunday, July 21 (Nitro Eliminations)

• Round 1: 10:30 a.m. PDT / 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Round 2: 12:30 p.m. PDT / 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Semi-Finals: 2:10 p.m. PDT / 5:10 p.m. EDT
• Finals: 3:35 p.m. PDT / 6:35 p.m. EDT

TV Coverage –

For those unable to attend in person, TV coverage is available on FS1 and FOX:

• Friday, July 19: Qualifying show (7:30 p.m. PDT / 10:30 p.m. EDT on FS1)
• Sunday, July 21: Qualifying show recapping Saturday’s action (10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT on FS1)
• Sunday, July 21: Finals show (1 p.m. PDT / 4 p.m. EDT on FOX)

With the stage set for high-speed drama, Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan are ready to take on the NHRA Northwest Nationals and kick off the Western Swing with a bang.