Matt Hagan, the reigning 2023 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, fought through a tough field to capture his 52nd NHRA career victory at the wheel of his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Johnson Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat in the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals,

Hagan, the 41-year-old driver from Christiansburg, Virginia, enjoyed a stellar weekend at the Texas Motorplex by scoring his second consecutive Texas Fall Nationals win and fifth overall at the concrete-surfaced drag strip south of the Dallas Metroplex. In addition, the four-time NHRA World Champion recorded his quickest elapsed time of the year with a 3.823 in qualifying for the No. 2 starting position in the 16-car field.
 
The Texas Fall Nationals triumph was his third NHRA national event win of the 2024 tour with earlier victories at Charlotte (April) and Joliet (May), and Hagan’s 98th career NHRA final round appearance, all in Dodge//SRT racecars.
 
In Sunday’s final round, Hagan took on former World Champion Ron Capps in a day of tough conditions that reached 95 degrees and a nearly 130-degree track surface, but the Dickie Venables-led TSR crew fought through the heat issues. Hagan, one of the best Funny Car reaction time drivers, proved his talent again with a “holeshot” victory over Capps, cutting a 0.064 light to a 0.084.

At the finish line, it was Hagan’s 3.943 bettering Capps’ 3.934 to claim the fifth Texas NHRA “Wally” trophy (2010, 2015, 2019, 2023-2024). In the earlier rounds, Hagan defeated Bobby Bode, Cruz Pedregon and Daniel Wilkerson to advance to the final round.
 
The win for Hagan moved him back in the third position in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings with two races remaining in the 20-event NHRA Mission national series at Las Vegas (Nov. 1-3) and Pomona, California (Nov. 14-17).
 
“This win was really special,” said Hagan. “We’re always building great relationships with our partners, and we have really great partners with Dodge//SRT in our Hellcat Funny Car. I’ve been with them almost 15 years and won four championships with them. We had JHG on the car and had Andy Ross from American Rebel at the race.
 
“I love (Ron) Capps, but I was ready to take him out before the final. I’m just like ‘Let’s Go.’ You feel like you’re going in like a gladiator. This is kind of like rodeo stuff. You get in this crazy machine, and you never know what it’s going to do. We have a great crew, and they did a super job this weekend to get this win. Life is about people and those relationships are what really matter.”

Texas Fall Nationals – Funny Car Class Summary

WIN: Matt Hagan – 3.943 secs 327.65 (Career win #52)
R/UP: Ron Capps – 3.934 secs 328.28 mph
Low ET: Austin Prock – 3.813 secs
Top MPH: Matt Hagan – 335.20 mph
Bump: 4.100
Entries – 19 cars

Posted with files by Tom Blatter & Bruce Biegler
Photos courtesy of NHRA & Auto Imagery