Mobil 1 McPhillips Racing’s Tony Stewart captured his second win in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series after an impressive performance at the North Central Division Race held in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 6-7. Stewart drove the Mobil 1 Top Alcohol Dragster to victory with a string of victories over a slew of the eliminator’s top competitors.
Stewart secured the No. 1 qualifying position with his Q1 run on Saturday, posting a career-best time of 5.183 seconds at 281.07 mph. He maintained his position after a Q2 run, registering a 5.203 ET at 282.07 mph, which also marked his fastest-ever speed in a Top Alcohol Dragster.
On Sunday, Stewart advanced to the finals with a series of victories:
- Round 1: Defeated Jeff Chatterson with a 5.202 ET at 282.19 mph against Chatterson’s 5.309 ET at 266.95 mph.
- Round 2: Overcame Jasmine Salinas, clocking 5.288 ET at 276.75 mph while Salinas ran a 5.333 ET at 272.89 mph.
- Finals: Triumphed over Jackie Fricke with a 5.257 ET at 276.35 mph, besting Fricke’s 5.308 ET at 274.27 mph.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Tony Stewart, Driver of the Mobil 1 Top Alcohol Dragster, said, “The last three races have been amazing. To win at Vegas and runner-up at Charlotte two weeks ago, then come here to the regional event in Indy and win is awesome. I’m really proud of this team and how much they have progressed. It was a rocky start to the year, but once they figured out the problems we were having, this thing has come to life.”
He continued, “I feel like every run we make, we’re getting better and better and getting the window a little bigger of what makes the car happy. Rich (McPhillips Sr.), Richie (McPhillips Jr.), Renee, Wayne, Bill and Eric that are on my car are great. There’s an awesome synergy with everyone. There’s Tex and Chris on Jasmine’s (Salinas) car and Darrell and Chad on Mike’s (Coughlin) car and Matt’s (Cummings) car when he runs it. Everybody works together and we’re one giant team.”
Stewart also praised the efforts of the team in adapting to the ever-changing track conditions, saying, “It’s nice when you plan and envision a run before you do it and then it goes exactly like you had planned. The hard thing with this style of racing is keeping up with the race track and knowing how much power you can put to the car. They did a great job prepping the track and Richie did a great job keeping up with it, so we knew what to do with the car.”
With Stewart’s latest win in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Mobil 1 McPhillips Racing team continues to make their mark on the drag racing scene, showcasing an unwavering commitment to improvement and teamwork.
This story was originally published on May 8, 2023. 
