Racing less than three hours from his home in Christiansburg, Va., four-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan heads to zMAX Dragway with hopes of earning another win at the Bellagio of Dragstrips during this weekend’s American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
Hagan will be flying the colors of American Rebel Beer this weekend in his 12,000-horsepower Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, adding even bigger stakes to the event for the popular veteran.
With four wins from Charlotte to his credit, including last year’s American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals when he picked up his milestone 50th career victory, Hagan is looking for his first win of the year as the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season continues at the wildest spectacle in motorsports.
“It will be a huge week for American Rebel,” said Hagan, who has 52 career Funny Car wins. “There will be a lot going on and I’m really excited about it. We’ll make it a good one knowing they’ll be out there with us. I’m ready to get going.”
The Charlotte race marks the second consecutive four-wide race for the NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series. Teams competed in Las Vegas and will soon arrive in Charlotte for another action-packed weekend of 48,000-horsepower machines reaching speeds over 330 mph.
Last season at the spring race in Charlotte, Hagan was joined in the winner’s circle by Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle). The 2025 race will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 27. It is the fifth of 20 events during the 2025 season and it is loaded with special events to honor the 1,000th Top Fuel race, including a special trophy presented to the winner by NHRA legend Don Garlits on Sunday.
Hagan advanced to the final quad of eliminations in Las Vegas, where reigning Funny Car world champion Austin Prock earned his first title of the season. His final appearance will slot him into this weekend’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, which brings competitive racing to the Saturday qualifying schedule.
Hagan will take on Phoenix winner Paul Lee, Daniel Wilkerson and former champ J.R. Todd. The other quad will be made up of Prock, former champion Cruz Pedregon, Dave Richards and Vegas Mission Challenge winner Spencer Hyde.
“Anytime you can go from one four-wide event to the next, it keeps you in a routine and gives you rhythm,” said Hagan. “Even though we advanced to the finals in Las Vegas, we had a parts breakage and ended up finishing last in the quad. I still feel really good about things. I felt like we had a good car all weekend in Vegas and had a good shot at winning the race. We were knocking on the door of where we needed to be, so we just have to keep the momentum moving forward.”
The Top Fuel ranks will celebrate the 1,000th Top Fuel race this weekend in Charlotte, some 62 years after the first Top Fuel race took place at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals, which was won by NHRA legend Don Garlits. NHRA will host milestone race winners including Garlits, race 100 winner Kelly Brown, race 200 winner Darrell Gwynn, as well as active racers including former champions Doug Kalitta and Brittany Force as well as reigning champion Antron Brown and more.
On the track, coming off his Vegas win, Tony Stewart will try to keep rolling and win a second straight race taking on the likes of points leader Shawn Langdon and Clay Millican.
Greg Anderson continues to dominate in Pro Stock, winning twice in 2025 and breaking records. Others to watch include KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn, who has also been to four straight finals in 2025, Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Matt Hartford.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera ruled 2024 and he won in Gainesville as the class returns for the first time since then with a talented pool of riders like Matt Smith, Richard Gadson, Jianna Evaristo, Angie Smith and Chase Van Sant.
The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals will also feature the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series, Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and the season-opener in the Holley EFI Factory X category. The first Summit Racing Equipment Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout of 2025 will also take place in Charlotte.
Fans will be invited to the Nitro Alley Stage, which is the main entertainment hub in the pits. The stage hosts Nitro School, meet and greets, autograph sessions and much more. Race fans in Charlotte can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce each driver and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. Fans are also invited to congratulate the event winners at the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday.
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their cars, get autographs and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 25 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 26 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 27. Television coverage includes qualifying on FS1 at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday and then eliminations action at 6 p.m. ET to follow.
To purchase tickets to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, please visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call 800-455-3267. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.
This story was originally published on April 23, 2025. 
