4X NHRA world champion Matt Hagan piloted the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) American Rebel Light Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat to his 55th career NHRA Funny Car event win in the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection in Las Vegas.
 
Hagan, the Christiansburg, Va., veteran racer, put together an impressive display of consistency and topped it off with the low elapsed time of the event with a spectacular 3.877 run in defeating reigning world champion Austin Prock in the final round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
Hagan’s win was his third of the 2025 NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series and sixth overall at the Las Vegas racing facility to continue his quest for a fifth world Funny Car crown. The victory was Hagan’s first over Prock in three final round matchups.
 
In the earlier rounds, Hagan, who qualified third in the 16-car field, defeated former world champion Cruz Pedregon, Chad Green and Daniel Wilkerson before facing off against Prock in a classic duel of the top two in the current Funny Car points standings. Hagan’s 3.877 easily bettered Prock’s time of 6.424 when Prock smoked his tires off the starting line.
 
Hagan remains in the hunt for his fifth title when the NHRA Mission national tour heads to the In-N-Out World Finals at Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 14-16. Hagan is tied for second all-time in world championships with legends Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein, with four crowns.

“It was a ‘have-to-win’ race for us,” said Hagan. “Sometimes you pull your crew chief aside and say, ‘We have to win this one.’ I’m super proud of my guys – Mike Knudson, Phil Shuler, Alex Conaway and the whole TSR crew. They were making the call for the first time at every racetrack, and to see the potential that Knud has for the future is awesome. Some guys will ask for the growing year their first year as a crew chief. He doesn’t have the notepad and experience of a Dickie Venables who was my crew chief for many years. Crew chiefs win races. I just jump on the pedal and go. But they have to make the right calls at the right times.
 
“Las Vegas has been very kind to me over the years with five wins in the Fall races and one in the Spring. It’s been a fun year with these crew guys and it’s great to see them when we win. It was exciting today because all of our major sponsors were here – Dodge, Direct Connection, American Rebel Beer, Johnson Horsepowered Garage — and it’s great to see their excitement in the winner’s circle too. This fight for the championship isn’t over, and we’ll be ready for Pomona in two weeks. I’m hungry to get a fifth World title.”

NHRA Dodge Nevada Nationals – Funny Car Class Summary

WIN: Matt Hagan – 3.877 secs 327.03 mph (Career win #55)
R/UP: Austin Prock – 6.424 secs 102.46 mph
Low ET: Matt Hagan – 3.877 secs
Top MPH: Austin Prock – 335.23 mph
Bump: 4.025
Entries – 21 cars

Posted with files by Tom Blattler & Bruce Biegler
Photos Courtesy of NHRA & Auto Imagery