Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) is bringing its championship-caliber horsepower to the historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the NHRA Winternationals, the third event on the 20-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule. The powerhouse duo of Tony Stewart in Top Fuel and four-time Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan aim for strong performances at one of drag racing’s most iconic venues.
Stewart, driver of the Rinnai Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster, currently holds sixth in the championship standings, trailing leader Shawn Langdon by 112 points. Hagan, piloting the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, is seventh, just 27 points behind the Funny Car points leader, Paul Lee.
Stewart Partners with Rinnai for Pomona
This weekend marks the first primary sponsorship appearance of the season for Rinnai America Corporation, a longtime supporter of Stewart dating back to his NASCAR days. The Peachtree City, Georgia-based subsidiary of Rinnai Corporation, the largest gas appliance manufacturer in Japan, brings industry-leading technology to consumers and businesses across North America.
“Rinnai has been a great partner of ours both in my NASCAR days and now in the NHRA. The NHRA program works for Rinnai because they’re able to do a lot of BTB (business-to-business) at the racetrack in a neutral setting,” Stewart said. “We’re able to have meetings with customers in the hospitality tent and then show them a great time at the racetrack and show them what 11,000 plus horsepower looks like so it’s a great partnership. We’re very proud to represent them and for us to have the opportunity to go to one of the distribution facilities and sign autographs for them before the event is something we always enjoy doing. They always do a great job with it and it makes for a very fun weekend for us.”
Stewart also looks forward to competing in Friday’s rescheduled NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout, where he’ll square off against rival Steve Torrence, adding extra excitement to the race weekend.
Hagan and JHG Aim for Continued Pomona Dominance
Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage (JHG), a prominent player in the automotive community since its inception in 2021, returns as Hagan’s primary sponsor at Pomona. JHG, founded by automotive enthusiast Jason Johnson, is renowned for its collection of more than 200 classic, hot rod, and exotic cars. Johnson’s roots in automotive ventures and success in global vehicle remarketing through Copart, Inc. highlight JHG’s deep connection to car culture.
Hagan enters Pomona with confidence, boasting more victories (7) and round wins (56) at Pomona than at any other track on the NHRA tour.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Pomona. It’s one of the racetracks that has shown us a lot of love and I’m very excited to get back there. We want to qualify better there, but the weather conditions will be a little cooler, so it won’t be pulling the car back as much,” Hagan said. “I think we can turn the knobs open and run a little harder and stronger. If we can qualify well, hopefully we can set ourselves up for a little better-looking ladder. But, it’s drag racing and you never know what you’re going to get. There are so many qualified drivers, especially when we saw Chad Green and Paul Lee as the first two winners of the season. Funny Car is so competitive and anything can happen. We’re excited to get there.”
Hagan secured victories at the Winternationals in 2015, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2023. His impressive track record at Pomona includes four No. 1 qualifier awards, making him a consistent threat every time he rolls into the staging lanes.
“Bonus points will always add up. Even though points reset for the Countdown, the #2Fast2Tasty points also really add up and it usually comes down to a couple points at the end of the championship. Any championship I’ve won has always come down to the last day, so it’s a nail biter. We need every point we can get. You can’t look at it as being too early in the season to worry about it because they all matter,” Hagan added.
Spring Western Swing Adds Excitement for Stewart
Stewart appreciates the significance of competing near his adopted hometown of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The Spring Western Swing through Phoenix, Pomona, and Las Vegas offers Stewart a unique opportunity to perform in front of friends and family, elevating the event’s meaning.
“I always enjoy the Spring West Coast Swing and the Fall one as well to finish the season. In the Spring, we have the opportunity to race in Phoenix, Pomona and Vegas. Phoenix and Vegas are within three hours of our home in Lake Havasu City, so we kind of consider those two races home races so to speak,” Stewart shared. “A lot of our friends from Lake Havasu get to come to Phoenix and Vegas and watch us and support us. It’s something that’s been awesome about moving out to Arizona. The community in Lake Havasu City really got behind Leah and I and TSR. We have friends like Shawn Reed who we compete against in Top Fuel that also has a house in Lake Havasu, so it’s a big motorsports and car-centric town. To be close enough to two of the races in the Spring for our community to be able to come to the track is pretty cool for us, so we enjoy it.”
This story was originally published on March 25, 2025. 
