TSR Nitro Battles Hard at NHRA Arizona Nationals

Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Nitro teams put up a strong fight at the NHRA Arizona Nationals this past weekend at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona. Four-time NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan and NASCAR legend-turned-Top Fuel driver Tony Stewart both delivered competitive performances, while JCM Racing’s Ida Zetterström and Alexis DeJoria, along with veteran Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon, had mixed results.

Hagan Narrowly Misses Semifinals in TSR Dodge//SRT HELLCAT Funny Car – 

Matt Hagan, piloting the TSR Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT HELLCAT Funny Car, showed his championship form but fell just inches short in the second round against defending NHRA Funny Car World Champion Austin Prock. Hagan had the quicker elapsed time of 4.005 seconds compared to Prock’s 4.010 but lost on a holeshot by a razor-thin 0.0036 seconds.

Hagan powered past Bobby Bode in the opening round with a strong 3.987-second pass at 324.44 mph, setting up the quarterfinal showdown against Prock. Despite a stellar run, Hagan’s reaction time of 0.078 seconds versus Prock’s 0.070 seconds proved to be the deciding factor.

“It was a tough weekend to go out in the second round when we’re used to going deeper into eliminations,” Hagan said. “The loss fell on me today. We got beat on a little baby holeshot. We got to the stripe first in terms of ET, but he had a better light. The kid is good, but we’re just as competitive. I’m proud of Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler, Alex Conaway, and all the guys making the calls. Everything is coming together, and we’ll be ready for Pomona.”

Stewart Makes Quarterfinals in Top Fuel, Gains Momentum – 

NHRA 2024 Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart, in his second NHRA season, drove his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster to the quarterfinals. After qualifying seventh, Stewart took down Shawn Reed in the first round before facing two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Brittany Force. Unfortunately, his car lost traction early in the run, ending his day sooner than planned.

“It’s disappointing to go out in the second round,” Stewart said. “But big picture, we had eight or nine solid runs between Gainesville and Phoenix where the car made it down the track cleanly. That’s progress. Today, we had tricky, hot conditions, but we won’t see that at Pomona. We’ve made huge strides since testing in Bradenton. Consistency is key before we focus on performance. I’m optimistic.”

JCM Racing: Zetterström and DeJoria Face Tough Competition – 

JCM Racing’s Swedish Top Fuel driver Ida Zetterström lost in a close first-round matchup against Justin Ashley, running a competitive 3.818-second pass to Ashley’s 3.805.

“We had a strong weekend and found a lot of positives,” Zetterström said. “It was a hot track, and we just didn’t have quite enough against Justin. Still, we’re making progress and rolling into Pomona with confidence.”

Her JCM teammate, Alexis DeJoria, piloted the Bandero Premium Tequila Dodge//SRT HELLCAT Funny Car to a sixth-place qualifying effort but was eliminated in round one by Cruz Pedregon.

Pedregon Moves Past First Round in Snap-On Dodge//SRT HELLCAT – 

Two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon, driving his Snap-On Dodge//SRT HELLCAT, advanced past DeJoria in round one but was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Looking Ahead to Pomona – 

The NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series now heads to Pomona for the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, March 28-30. Nitro qualifying kicks off Friday at 1:30 p.m. PDT, with eliminations set for Sunday at 11 a.m. PDT. Fans can catch the finals on Fox Sports 1 at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT.