Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan piloted their 11,000-horsepower, nitro-burning Dodge//SRT racecars to the final round again Sunday in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
Coming off his first NHRA Top Fuel national win two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Stewart was seeking back-to-back triumphs in the unique four-wide racing format, and the NASCAR Hall of Famer came close to another victory in his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster when he advanced to the Top Fuel final round against Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and current World Champion Antron Brown.
Qualifying eighth in the 16-car field, the former NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion upset No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round on a “holeshot” starting line advantage with his 3.779 run, and Stewart returned in round two with a 3.760 to move to his third consecutive final round.
Prior to his win in Las Vegas, Stewart recorded a runner-up finish at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., last month.
In the final, the driver known as “Smoke” ran right with the leaders, only to get nipped at the finish line by Langdon and Ashley, recording a 3.792 pass. Despite the third-place finish in the four-wide final, Stewart currently ranks second in the NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings entering the next event at Joliet, Ill., on May 16-18.
“It’s hard to be disappointed after we’ve made it to the finals for three races in a row,” said Stewart. “Like I said after Vegas, we still have a lot of work to do and today showed that. After the win at Vegas, everyone took a deep breath and got the monkey off our back. At the same time, it feels like we kind of open ourselves up to some mistakes. We had a tough team meeting, but to get to the finals again, it’s a good situation to be in.
“We just have to make sure we stay focused and don’t let little issues creep in. We’re five races into the season and we’ve made it past the first round all five races. We’re leaving Charlotte second in points. It’s not where I thought we’d be at this point in the year, so I’m very pleased. It was a fun weekend for Dodge and American Rebel Light. I’m glad we could get both cars in the finals. It’s something to be proud of for TSR.”
Hagan, the four-time NHRA World Funny Car champion, entered the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals as the defending Funny Car champion, and the Virginia racer looked to be on his way to another victory Sunday in his TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat.
Like Stewart, Hagan qualified eighth at Charlotte and was strong in the opening rounds as crew chiefs Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler and their crew had Hagan winning the first round over No. 1 qualifier Paul Lee, Dave Richards and Bobby Bode with a strong 3.939. Then, in round two, Hagan’s 3.962 easily bested Alexis DeJoria, Chad Green and Richards.
Entering his second consecutive final round, Hagan went up against former World Champions Austin Prock and Ron Capps, as well as DeJoria. However, Hagan’s 3.939 wasn’t enough to match race winner Prock’s 3.870 and Capps’ 3.920.
With the final round appearance Sunday at Charlotte, Hagan now moves to second in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points heading to the Route 66 NHRA Nationals, round six in the 20-race NHRA national campaign, on May 16-18.
“I’m happy we were able to go rounds today and put on a good show for everyone,” said Hagan. “We went down the racetrack every run this weekend. We have new crew chiefs (Knudsen and Shuler – co-crew chiefs). It’s no different than seat time for a driver. You get better after 20 years. The crew chiefs get better by making more calls on the racetrack. It’s a very competitive field and we just needed a little more out there. I’m confident in our guys and they’re doing a great job. I’m feeling good about the races we have coming up. We’ll be in Chicago next, and we’ve won that one four times, including last year’s race.”
After a break from the NHRA Mission tour, Sweden’s Ida Zetterström returned to Top Fuel action in Charlotte with her JCM Racing/Dodge//SRT dragster and ran consistently in the 3.70 range during the weekend. The FIA European Top Fuel champion just missed advancing to the semifinals with a 3.753 in the first round.
The upcoming Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill,, has nitro qualifying scheduled for Friday, May 16, at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s qualifying sessions begin at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CDT with final eliminations getting underway for 10:30 a.m. CDT, Sunday, May 18.
The Route 66 NHRA Nationals final eliminations will be shown on Fox Sports 1 will begin on Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. EDT.
This story was originally published on April 28, 2025. 
