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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\u201cCongratulations to Matt Hagan and the Tony Stewart Racing team for their first win of the 2022 season aboard the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car at the NHRA Gatornationals,\u201d said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. \u201cIt\u2019s great to see Matt earn his 40th career win and continue to demonstrate what Dodge\/\/SRT performance looks like and what enthusiasts can expect from Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Our NHRA Nitro team is appreciative of the long-standing relationship our drivers Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett have had with Dodge\/\/SRT and Mopar,\u201d said team owner Tony Stewart. \u201cEveryone in racing knows the value of OEM support and its importance to a team\u2019s success, so we’re pleased to have that relationship with Dodge in drag racing and how that quickly culminated in our first Funny Car win at the NHRA Gatornationals.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TSR\u2019s first national event win puts Stewart on an exclusive list of team owners with victories in both NHRA and NASCAR series that includes Ray Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Gibbs, and Jack Roush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After wet and unseasonably cold weather disrupted most of the weekend schedule and limited qualifying to just one session for the nitro categories, Hagan\u2019s sole qualifying pass of 3.898 seconds at 320.13 mph put the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car No. 4 on the eliminations ladder for the 53rd edition of the famed event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His opening round pairing against No. 13 seed Dave Richards saw him launch his 11,000-horsepower machine off the line first, but an immediate loss of traction had Hagan skillfully pedaling it before regaining control and turning on the first win light. A solo run in the quarterfinals after Terry Haddock broke on the burnout was followed by a solid 3.894-second run at 332.84 mph to defeat Chad Green and advance to the final elimination. Hagan powered to a 3.910-second \/ 330.96 mph run aboard his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to defeat No. 6 seed Blake Alexander and earn the win he had been looking forward to providing his new team and the trophy he had yearned for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo get this first win at the Gatornationals and Tony Stewart\u2019s first win in a drag car, it\u2019s pretty awesome,\u201d said the three-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion. \u201cHe wants to be here, and it says a lot for our sport. It was a good weekend for Tony, a good weekend for NHRA and I\u2019m just very blessed and humbled to be here. I want to make sure I\u2019m showing up on the starting line and doing my part and I just know what this team is capable of. It\u2019s a lot of tough competition, but as a driver that\u2019s exciting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt just was a big weekend for me personally because I\u2019ve been wanting to win this race and check it off on my career box, and I think this allows me to accomplish everything I\u2019ve ever set out to do in NHRA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to very poor weather – the 2022 version Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals Funny Car field was set on a single qualifying opportunity Saturday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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