As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan enter drag racing’s grandest stage – The Big Go – with significant momentum and high expectations.
Leah Pruett and her Dodge Top Fuel team arrive in Indianapolis following a stout performance at the Brainerd Nationals, where she reached the semi-final round and set the event’s quickest elimination elapsed time with a 3.702-second run. In addition to her standout elapsed time, Pruett reached a career milestone at Brainerd by blasting down the track at 341.08 mph, marking both the top speed of the event and the fastest pass of her career.
In preparation for NHRA Drag Racing’s biggest event, Pruett’s Dodge team stayed to test on Monday after Brainerd.
“Testing went excellent,” Pruett said. “We worked closely with Dodge and their team on a couple long-term projects. We were also able to make some large swings, so I would say, it was a highly educational test day. Personally, I had been sick all race weekend and was at the height of fighting off the yuck on Monday, which meant the inside of my visor got to see a lot of snot time when the chutes hit. Looking forward to a healthy fun fast U.S. Nationals this weekend.”
Although Pruett has previously captured a U.S. Nationals victory in Factory Stock Showdown (2018), a Top Fuel title at Indy has remained just out of reach. In Top Fuel, her career-best U.S. Nationals showing came in 2020 when she earned runner-up honors to Shawn Langdon while posting the quickest time of the event at 3.703 seconds.
“The importance of this race lies within the heritage and legacy that has been built over decades,” Pruett said. “The tangible importances are the opportunity to earn points and a half, which can definitely shake things up for many teams. The goal is to ultimately finish as high in points as we can to get the best run at a championship. The sentimental value of winning the U.S. Nationals carries just as much importance; all teams are bringing their absolute A-game, and winning The Big Go just speaks volumes others can’t.”
Returning to compete at Indianapolis Raceway Park brings a sense of familiarity and heightened energy for Pruett, making the U.S. Nationals feel like a premier showcase for the entire team.
“Indy now feels like more of a racer’s homecoming,” Pruett noted. “It’s home to so many in the nitro ranks, with friends and family in attendance more than ever. The U.S. National’s vibe is undeniable, which just means the consistency of being cool, calm and collected will be at an all-time high. It’s the perfect race to prepare for Countdown pressures.”
Matt Hagan and the Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car team arrive at drag racing’s biggest stage already with three wins this season (Winternationals, Thunder Valley Nationals and most recently the Brainerd Nationals). Their victory just two weeks ago at Brainerd International Raceway marked Hagan’s 14th consecutive season with at least three victories. Even with the Funny Car points lead and consistent performance, the Dodge team took advantage of testing Monday after Brainerd.
“We have a great car, and we had a great test session,” Hagan noted. “We just want to race. We have a lot of momentum and we’re going to carry that into Indy to see what we can do. Unfortunately, with these Funny Cars, you can do all that and say all that, and sometimes it’s just hard to even qualify. There are going to be 24 cars there and it’s a big field, so just getting in the show is step one.”
His legacy at Indianapolis is already etched into the record books: Hagan won the event in 2016 and followed it up in 2017 by setting the Indianapolis Raceway Park track record for both elapsed time (3.799 seconds) and speed (338.77 mph) — marks he set en route to the most recent of his five No. 1 qualifying starts at the event (he was also No. 1 in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016).
“I’ve been blessed to win Indy, but I was super sick when I did,” Hagan recalled. “Every time I pulled the parachutes, all this snot would come out and hit the visor, and I was just like, ‘Golly, can this just be over?’ So I never really got to celebrate Indy. I just wanted to take some NyQuil and go to bed. It would be amazing to be able to win and actually spend the time with my guys and celebrate. It’s one of those races that you definitely don’t want to leave the sport without winning, so we’re glad we’ve accomplished that, but there are just a lot of things that you miss out on when you’re not feeling good.”
Before launching his bid for a bookend victory to match his 2016 U.S. Nationals title, Hagan will also compete in the PlayNHRA All-Star Callout bonus race. Previously finishing the specialty event as runner-up in both 2022 and 2023, Hagan enters this year’s competition as the second seed and will get the second choice of opponents unless he is called out by No. 1 seed Jack Beckman. Adding to the intensity of the weekend, Hagan will also participate in the final Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the 2026 season.
“The Big Go and the importance of that race is everything,” Hagan said. “It’s a marathon, right? You’ve got to have some stuff left in the tank by Monday, but we start racing right off the rip. Between the Callout, the Too Fast Too Tasty, the opportunity for the regular season championship, and then the event itself, there’s just a lot going on. It’s a chance to win a little over $350 grand, I think. I haven’t really done the math on that, but it’s somewhere way up there – especially when we also only race for $500,000 at the end of the season championship. That’s a pretty big payday, so I’ve got to get locked in. Indy to me is obviously the biggest race of the year considering what’s at stake, and being in the position that we’re in to really truly have an opportunity to win the season championship. It’s not like we’re sitting sixth and hoping something happens. It’s important, so yeah, it’s a huge race, but it’s also one for the history books, too.”
Indianapolis also holds a deeply sentimental place in Hagan’s heart, as the legendary track served as the literal launching pad for his multi-championship career in professional drag racing.
“I remember my first Indy in 2008 – I qualified, but some of the big names in the sport who raced for Don Schumacher Racing at the time never made the show,” Hagan reflected. “It really raised Don Schumacher’s eyebrow, I guess. He came through my pit and was like, ‘Who are you, and what’s the deal?’ He just had one of his cars not qualify while we got in, and he looked at Scelzi retiring and said, ‘I need a wheelman. Why don’t you sell your junk and come drive mine?’ At the time, I was blown away. I didn’t really even know who Don Schumacher was because I was running IHRA and was just in my little bubble. When I got to digging and looking I was just like, ‘Wow.’ So, it all really started right there at Indy for my career. I’ve got some history there for sure, some really rough memories along the way, but there’s a lot of love at Indy for me.”
Competition at the Cornwell Qualifying Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park begins with five rounds of qualifying Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. and Sunday at Noon and 2:45 p.m. Eliminations will be held on Labor Day Monday at 10 a.m.
Television coverage of the event will start with two qualifying shows Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET. A special PlayNHRA Funny Car All Star Callout show will air Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will begin to air Monday at noon on FS1 before switching to FOX at 2 p.m. ET.
The post Leah Pruett, Matt Hagan Ride Into NHRA U.S. Nationals With Significant Momentum and High Expectations first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
