Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan are set to bring the red, white, and bold of American Rebel Beer to Virginia Motorsports Park this weekend for the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, the ninth stop on the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series calendar.
The race marks a pivotal point in the season for Tony Stewart Racing’s two-car team, which includes Stewart in Top Fuel and Hagan in Funny Car. Stewart enters the weekend leading the Top Fuel points standings by 76 markers over Shawn Langdon. In Funny Car, Hagan sits fifth in points, 109 behind leader Austin Prock.
American Rebel Beer is the primary sponsor of both drivers at this event. Founded in April 2024 by American Rebel CEO Andy Ross, the beer is described as all natural, crisp, clean and bold, with a lighter feel. It’s currently available in 12 states, including Virginia, and can be found in iconic venues like Kid Rock’s bar, Tootsie’s, and Honky Tonk Central in Nashville, as well as music festivals and retailers nationwide.
For Stewart, this will be his 29th career Top Fuel start and his second appearance at Virginia Motorsports Park. He’s still pursuing his first No. 1 qualifier and event win at the track. Hagan will make his 361st career Funny Car start and his sixth at Virginia. He has one No. 1 qualifier at the event in 2022, when he ran 3.853 seconds at 331.45 mph. His Q1 run that year also set the track speed record at 335.82 mph.
Both drivers reached the semifinals at the 2024 Virginia NHRA Nationals. Hagan fell short to eventual winner Austin Prock, while Doug Kalitta eliminated Stewart.
Hagan, a Christiansburg, Virginia native, considers this a home race and is eager to put on a show for fans in his home state.
“Having three runs in one day is great,” Hagan said. “I love the idea of a morning, midday and evening run. My crew is coming into town early to fish and enjoy some team bonding. They’ll get to come to the track and work hard with three runs on Saturday. We want to focus on a really good qualifying position. If we can do that, it could hopefully change our Sunday around by being able to qualify in the top-half of the field.”
He’s also looking forward to continuing the partnership with American Rebel Beer in a bigger way this weekend.
“I’m excited about having American Rebel on the car and also have them as a sponsor of the event,” Hagan said. “It’ll be great having Andy Ross out there and he’s also going to play a concert for the fans. He’s growing the brand and we’re excited to help him do that. Charlotte was a great event when he sponsored the NHRA race, which then opened the opportunity to sell his product at the Coca-Cola 600. There’s been a lot of cross promotion. Drag racing opens the door to a lot of things and we’re excited to be part of that. I can’t wait to get to Richmond after getting to enjoy a weekend off.”
Stewart is also looking forward to the energy a packed Saturday schedule will bring. Qualifying will take place entirely on Saturday, with three sessions scheduled across the day.
“It gives the fans the opportunity to know that they’re going to see all the top teams make three solid runs, which will set the field for the race the next day,” Stewart said. “It’s a great opportunity to see a lot of racing action in one day.”
With just six races remaining in the regular season, Stewart is also eyeing the newly introduced Regular Season Championship.
“I definitely think we have a shot at it right now,” he said. “This is the hot part of the summer and this is where I felt all along this year that our car has been at its best. When the tracks get hot, they get greasy and hard to get a hold of. I feel like our program really suits this time of the year, so I definitely think it’s a possibility to get the regular season championship.”
Stewart also qualified for the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge by reaching the semifinals at the Thunder Valley Nationals, where he’ll face a rematch against Steve Torrence. He’ll also take part in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty autograph session Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. EDT at the Mission Foods display.
American Rebel CEO Andy Ross will perform free concerts for fans on Saturday between Q2 and Q3 and again on Sunday following the first round of eliminations. Both concerts will take place in the Midway, across from the TSR pit.
This story was originally published on June 20, 2025.
The post Stewart, Hagan Carry American Rebel Colors into Virginia NHRA Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.