Hagan Back in Victory Lane for Third Time in 2023 NHRA Season With Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Win in Four-Wide Nationals
On April 16, 2023, Matt Hagan achieved his third win in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series by driving the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to victory at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. This win marks his second consecutive victory at the Strip and his fifth career win in Las Vegas. Hagan's performance included a winning time of 3.943 seconds against competitors Tim Wilkerson, John Force, and Chad Green, solidifying his lead in the Funny Car points standings with a margin of 105 points. Notably, Tony Stewart, team owner of Hagan's racing team, also secured his first NHRA national win in the Top Alcohol Dragster class during the event. This victory underscores the competitive strength of the Tony Stewart Racing team and the performance of Dodge vehicles in NHRA competitions.
- Matt Hagan secured his third NHRA national event win in the 2023 season.
- Hagan extended his points lead to 105 in the Funny Car category.
- Tony Stewart achieved his first NHRA national win as a team owner.
- None.
Matt Hagan notched the third NHRA national event win of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Sunday in hisTony Stewart Racing (TSR) Haas Automotive Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car- Hagan, who qualified third, recorded his fifth
Las Vegas victory of his career and second consecutive after winning last October in the Nevada Nationals - In the final round Sunday, Hagan, seeking his fourth
NHRA Camping World points championship, defeatedTim Wilkerson , John Force andChad Green to score his 46th career NHRA Wally trophy - The win for Hagan also extended his current point margin to 105 points
- Hagan's TSR teammate,
Leah Pruett , put in consistent runs all three days with strong qualifying passes and a first-round victory Sunday with 3.74, 3.75 and 3.77 times, as well as 3.79 when she lost in a close second round race - TSR team owner Tony Stewart also scored his first NHRA national win Sunday by driving to the Top Alcohol Dragster class title
Cruz Pedregon recorded his second straight No. 1 Funny Car qualifying position Saturday with his Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with a time of 3.910 seconds
Hagan, the three-time NHRA world champion, qualified third in the 16-car field and advanced to the final round with solid, consistent runs of 3.997 and 3.968 seconds to set up a third finals appearance in the opening four races in 2023.
Competing against John Force,
"It was another outstanding performance by
Hagan's Funny Car victory was his second straight at the Strip after winning last October in the Nevada Nationals and his fifth
"This is so special to share the winner's circle with my boss, Tony Stewart, and his first NHRA national win too," said Hagan after his third 2023 victory and Stewart's first Top Alcohol Dragster win. "It's funny because I never followed Tony's oval racing career, and I actually had to look up his achievements when I talked with him about this new team.
"After he won here, he came to my car and said, 'Now it's your turn to win!' Wow, I wasn't feeling any pressure until then. But our crew, led by
TSR team owner Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup champion, captured his first NHRA national event Sunday by taking the Top Alcohol Dragster victory. It was Stewart's fourth race in NHRA national event competition. The
"This is the most fun I have had in a long time," said Stewart in victory lane with Hagan. "Matt and his crew are doing a tremendous job with three wins already and Leah's crew has been outstanding in this early portion of the season. Yes, it is exciting to win my first NHRA national event, but the double is very special today."
Pruett, the 10-time NHRA national winner, recorded a solid showing in qualifying to place fifth entering Sunday's eliminations with her Code 3 Associates Dodge//SRT Mopar Top Fuel dragster with runs of 3.746, 3.747 and 3.753. In Sunday's competition, Leah posted a 3.779 to win against three other drivers before falling in the second round with a 3.798 to eventual winner
"Our team did a great job all weekend here 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
Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand's first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and 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. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.
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
This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar, 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 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.
Follow Dodge, Mopar and
Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
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