* Tony Stewart, a Top Fuel 'rookie,' drove the
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* Taking transfer positions in the first two rounds of competition, Stewart recorded his best times of the weekend Sunday at 3.773, 3.754 and 3.769 but lost to Kalitta in the final
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* Hagan, who qualified tenth, recorded strong times Sunday in the Four-Wide eliminations with runs of 3.922, 3.938 and 3.895, the low Funny Car elapsed time of the event
* The defending race winner, Hagan suffered a final round loss with a triple 'holeshot' victory by Bob Tasca III over
* Team owner Stewart pleased with his Nitro teams' progress after a slow 2024 season start
Stewart, in just his fourth Top Fuel race, was quick off the starting line and quick on the track by advancing in two rounds of competition to the delight of the huge crowd who rooted him on throughout the weekend, and he took on veteran competitors
Stewart was impressive with quick reaction times and solid runs of 3.773, 3.754 and 3.769 before losing the final to Kalitta's 3.715. The final round appearance vaulted Stewart into the sixth position in the current NHRA Mission Top Fuel points standings as the NHRA tour travels to zMAX Dragway, outside of
Despite qualifying eleventh in the Top Fuel field, Stewart proved to be impressive with a transfer spot in round one and a victory in round two. In the final round, the
'I'm proud of the progress this team is making right now,' said Stewart after his final round appearance. 'We didn't qualify as well as we wanted, but, with the Four-Wide format, I don't feel it is that important for eliminations. We transferred in the first quad (four cars) round and then, we outright won the next round and that makes us feel like we are gaining on it. I told the team that we are way ahead of where we were last week at
'I feel like the team is doing a great job improving with each race, and we are in the window that we can make some small adjustments and pick up speed. We will focus on the positive moving forward. Today (Sunday), I was leaving on good lights and got a 50 (.050 of a second) in the final. I wanted to be consistent on the lights, and that is the best for me as a rookie driver in Top Fuel. I'm looking forward to
Reigning NHRA Mission World Funny Car Champion
After qualifying an uncharacteristic tenth on Friday, Hagan bounced back in the Funny Car eliminations with impressive runs of 3.922, 3.938 and 3.895, the low Funny Car elapsed time of the event in warm track conditions. The
Despite recording the low E.T. of the race, Hagan lost in a triple 'holeshot' win by Tasca over Prock, Capps and Hagan. By advancing to the final round, Hagan remains in fourth in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings after four races in the 20-event NHRA national circuit.
'Dickie (
'It's tough when you get beat on a 'holeshot' but those four cars in the final were about a foot or 18 inches apart. That's some darn good racing. We are happy to be a part of those big 'heavy hitters' in the class. You never see the other cars when it's that close, but you can hear them. Now we want to get this Dodge//SRT racecar more dialed in as we go to
Hagan, the four-time NHRA Mission Funny Car World Champion, is no stranger to the zMAX Dragway winner's circle with victories in 2011, 2013 and 2014; and Stewart, making his first Top Fuel appearance in
The next NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series event in
@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and
The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options, including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.
Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.
In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the '#1 Brand in Initial Quality,' making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news, including daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider
Mopar
Mopar is the global name for
A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.
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