The inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR at US 131 Motorsports Park, the 15th event on the 20-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule, marks a monumental weekend for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan. The event kicks off the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs and brings NHRA national event drag racing to the state of Michigan for the first time in 66 years.
For primary sponsor Dodge, the weekend is a true home-state celebration. Leading into the event, team owner Tony Stewart along with TSR drivers Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett kicked off the festivities at the Stellantis campus in Auburn Hills, Michigan. There, they officially unveiled striking new “Purple Haze” and Dodge Charger Super Bee race car liveries for Pruett’s 12,000-horsepower TSR Dodge Top Fuel dragster and Hagan’s TSR Dodge Funny Car. The new high-gloss, light-shifting Purple Haze paint shade and iconic Super Bee graphics honor Dodge’s 60th anniversary of the Charger while celebrating the newly announced 600-horsepower 2027 Dodge Charger Super Bee Launch Edition, which will be on display at the track.
The week-long celebration also featured employee events and customer “Conquest” ride-and-drive experiences in the new Dodge Charger Super Bees and Durangos. To cap it off, Dodge and the NHRA will host the “Tour de Michigan” cruise on Sept. 17, leading fans from Dodge headquarters through stops including Hell, Michigan, before arriving at the race track.
Celebrating her 10th official season with Dodge and Mopar, Leah Pruett enters the postseason in her Dodge Top Fuel dragster seeking her first career Top Fuel world title. Pruett enters the Countdown starting from the No. 3 position—the exact same spot she occupied entering the playoffs in 2023, where she staged a fierce championship battle that saw her claim a Countdown win at Dallas, reach three final rounds in six postseason races, and finish just 57 points shy of the title. With 13 career Top Fuel national event victories (along with four in Pro Mod and three in Factory Stock Showdown), Pruett aims to build on strong regular-season momentum, including a Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Although US 131 Motorsports Park is a new stop on the national tour, the facility holds significant personal history for her.
“Martin, Michigan, here we come! For many, it’s a place that they haven’t been to,” Pruett said. “For me personally, I have tested a lot in the Factory Stock Showdown in my Dodge DragPak car. Made a lot of development in those days at that track, ran Nitro Funny Car, started getting my license in Nitro at Martin, Michigan. So, for me, it holds a lot of positive memories.
“And also, fun fact, the US Nationals were hosted in Detroit for a couple years then later got moved to Indianapolis. So, for us to continue on the heels of our momentum from this year’s US Nationals, we’re looking to finish the job at the previous US Nationals home of Detroit for Dodge.
“We’ve had a fantastic week at the headquarters—Hagan and I doing customer drives, the Conquest events where people can rip the new Super Bees and the Durangos and feel that Dodge power. You know, interestingly for me, I always find I feel more comfortable in my Top Fuel dragster after I’ve been driving the hot rod Dodges around all day. Dodge feels like home, and I would love nothing more than to bring a diamond Wally home to Detroit.
“I’m celebrating my 10th year officially with Dodge and Mopar, and this is—I guess it’s homecoming season, as some might say. I’m looking forward to the new fans up there and getting us a new race surface that we all get to manage at the same time.”
On the Funny Car side, four-time NHRA World Champion Matt Hagan arrives in Michigan leading the Funny Car points standings after capturing the 2026 NHRA regular-season championship. Driving his Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, Hagan boasts 58 career Funny Car victories and 102 final-round appearances. Notably, Hagan is the second-winningest driver in NHRA Countdown history with 18 postseason victories, and he has won at least one Countdown race in each of his last six playoff appearances across six different tracks.
Despite his four titles, Hagan is chasing a unique career milestone: winning a championship starting as the regular-season points leader. (His previous titles came from No. 5 in 2011, No. 7 in 2014, No. 2 in 2022, and 2020 when no Countdown was held). Backed by crew chiefs Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler, Hagan is focused on starting the six-race postseason stretch on a high note.
“We have a full week and weekend here in Michigan. Coming out here for a Dodge-sponsored race, showing off this new paint job. It’s only right that we revealed it at headquarters, took a tour and got behind the scenes, then we head to US 131 for ride and drives and media all to kick-off the Countdown to the Championship,” Hagan said. “Feels good. It’s a big weekend. We had a long week in Indy, turn around and have a long week here in Michigan, hopefully we can cap it off the same way, a trip to the finals.
“No one has had a go at this racetrack in 66 years, we’re really excited about that, but also, kind of nervous, the unknown. I’ve heard the track is supposed to be great, so I’m ready to go run. Ready for an even, quality racetrack. The weather right now looks nice and cool, so things could be really interesting. Kind of wild to kick-off the Countdown like this but it’s the same for everyone and I know we’re looking forward to it.
“I’ll tell you what, I’m glad I’m not a crew chief. I’m glad I’m a driver. I get to stab and steer, hang on and hope for the best. So, I just can’t say enough about Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler and Alex Conaway. Those guys have really done a great job of racing the tracks and qualifying well. I have to always remind myself that Mike’s always got a plan. We may not make the best run right of the box we have data to work off of. He’s playing chess while others are playing checkers. Methodically moving forward and, man, it seems to be working out.”
This story was originally published on September 17, 2026. 
