Coming off a monumental win in the Top Fuel ranks, Tony Stewart is headed to zMAX Dragway for a race he\u2019s enjoyed immensely in his brief NHRA career, as the racing legend looks to pick up another four-wide win at this weekend\u2019s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.<\/p>\n
Stewart is a self-declared fan of the unique four-wide setup, which provides the ultimate sensory overload with four nitro-burning machines racing at once and nearly 50,000-horsepower at once, delivering the ultimate spectacle in motorsports.<\/p>\n
This weekend marks the only four-wide race of the year during NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary season and Stewart has enjoyed plenty of success in the format, previously advancing to the final quad in Charlotte and winning a four-wide race last year in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
That was his first career Top Fuel win and his third came at the most recent race in Pomona this season, where Stewart handed Pro Stock powerhouse Elite Motorsports its first-ever Top Fuel victory. That was another major moment for Stewart in his NHRA career, but he sees plenty of potential and a bright future with his 12,000-horsepower R&L Carriers dragster, with a chance for back-to-back wins on the season this weekend in Charlotte.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the ingredients are here,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cWe\u2019ve still got a lot of work to do, but to see these guys and see their progression, it\u2019s awesome. It\u2019s been great to race with them. This is not easy, we definitely know that, but it\u2019s such a unique and great group of people at Elite Motorsports. To get Richard (Freeman, Elite Motorsports team owner) his first win in the nitro class, there\u2019s no words to express how much that means. It\u2019s such a special deal and a cool feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s visit to Charlotte, which is the fourth of 20 races in 2026, will also continue the season-long celebration of NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary, where fans can expect multiple highlights at zMAX Dragway, including:<\/p>\n
For Stewart, competing during this milestone year means a great deal to him. His Tony Stewart Racing team remains as strong as ever, with his wife, Top Fuel standout Leah Pruett, back in the sport and Matt Hagan tied for first in points in the Funny Car ranks.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s now helping Elite Motorsports move into the nitro ranks, adding another standout car in the loaded field that also includes points leader and reigning world champ Doug Kalitta, Langdon, Pomona runner-up Justin Ashley, Antron Brown, Josh Hart, who won in Gainesville, Clay Millican and rookie sensation Maddi Gordon.<\/p>\n
A year ago, Stewart won twice and earned NHRA\u2019s regular-season championship and now he\u2019s hoping for more big moments during a huge season in NHRA history.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re honored to be part of NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary. It truly is an honor. The camaraderie here in the pit area, it\u2019s truly a large, large family and we\u2019re grateful to be here,\u201d Stewart said.<\/p>\n
Funny Car\u2019s Prock swept the four-wide races last year and the back-to-back world champ will look to get on track against the likes of Hagan, Ron Capps, J.R. Todd, class newcomer Jordan Vandergriff, Alexis DeJoria and Gainesville winner Chad Green.<\/p>\n
Dallas Glenn powered his way to his first Pro Stock world title in 2025 and won last season\u2019s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals when he defeated KB Titan Racing teammate and six-time champ Greg Anderson, 2026 Gainesville winner Matt Hartford and Eric Latino.<\/p>\n
Pro Stock Motorcycle returns in Charlotte after last racing at the season opener in Gainesville. Six-time world champ Matt Smith won at his home track last season when he defeated reigning world champ Richard Gadson, two-time champ Gaige Herrera and veteran Steve Johnson. Gadson opened 2026 with a win and will face off against the likes of Angie Smith, Jianna Evaristo, John Hall and Chase Van Sant.<\/p>\n
The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals will also feature the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown.<\/p>\n
The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals will see the debut of the new Right Trailers Outlaw Street Series is an exciting new showcase for 2026 and will feature 10 drivers, with three rounds of qualifying over the course of Friday and Saturday in Charlotte, followed by semifinals and finals on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.<\/p>\n
Fans will be invited to the Nitro Alley Stage, which hosts Nitro School, meet and greets, autograph sessions and much more. Race fans in Charlotte can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce each driver and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. Fans are also invited to congratulate the event winners at the winner\u2019s circle celebration on Sunday.<\/p>\n
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their cars, get autographs and more. They can also visit NHRA\u2019s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere.<\/p>\n
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:15 and 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 25 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 26. Television coverage includes qualifying on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and 11 a.m. ET on Sunday with eliminations action at 7 p.m. ET to follow.<\/p>\n
To purchase tickets to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, please visit\u00a0www.charlottemotorspeedway.com<\/a>\u00a0or call 800-455-3267. For more information about NHRA, visit\u00a0www.nhra.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post Racing Legend Tony Stewart Looks to Continue Four-Wide Success at zMAX Dragway<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Coming off a monumental win in the Top Fuel ranks, Tony Stewart is headed to zMAX Dragway for a race he\u2019s enjoyed immensely in his brief NHRA career, as the racing legend looks to pick up another four-wide win at this weekend\u2019s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. Stewart is a self-declared fan of the unique four-wide setup, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103429\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}