The partnership between Tony Stewart Racing Nitro (TSR Nitro) and Stellantis Corporation’s Dodge//SRT brand will continue, both entities revealed June 17. Announced in 2022, the partnership had – and continues to have – a single Top Fuel and a single Funny Car entry in NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
In its first and second seasons, TSR Nitro prepared a Top Fuel car for Leah Pruett and a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car for Matt Hagan, both with primary Dodge Direct Connection sponsorship. They nearly swept both nitro divisions in 2023, when Pruett went to the final round of the final race of the season, yet fell to first time titleholder Doug Kalitta. Hagan, on the other hand, played his cards just right to earn his fourth Funny Car championship, winning six National NHRA events with Direct Connection sponsorship.
“Having strong OEM support is crucial in all forms of motorsports,” Stewart said. “To have Dodge re-sign with TSR Nitro is great. We are all excited about where the program has been up until this point, and we are all excited about where it’s going. It’s been a big change on the dragster side, with Leah driving in the past, as far as the specs we had to change in the off-season (to suit Stewart). It’s more of a challenge for the crew chiefs, but Dodge has been very supportive, from the time we had our first discussion about creating TSR Nitro. I’m very appreciative of their support and looking forward to an awesome future with them,” he said.
Stewart, the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver, a three-time stock car champion and a titleholder in nearly every major series in the United States, took over the driving chores of Pruett’s Top Fuel Direct Connection dragster, as this husband-and-wife team attempts to start a family. Despite going to the finals at Pomona last November, Pruett finished third in the championship standings.
As Stewart contests his first season of Top Fuel competition, he’s looking to earn NHRA’s Rookie of the Year honors and win at least one round in the 20-contest NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 20-race campaign. He’s currently ninth in class standings. To date Hagan has won 12 races under the TSR Nitro banner and Pruett has secured three wins. Stewart is hoping to join them in the Winner’s Circle. A NASCAR, INDYCAR and USAC series titleholder, he shocked the motorsports world with his initial forays into straight-line racing, in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, where he placed second in the season-long tally, earning a pair of wins.
Hagan has been associated with the Dodge brand for 16 seasons, starting in 2009. Attaining his fourth title at the close of the 2023 campaign, he joined legends Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein, both of whom own four titles in the Flopper class. Hagan has 51 victories thus far in his career and two this year. He’s currently fourth on the all-time Funny Car win list.
“It’s really awesome to hear Dodge is extending their relationship with TSR,” the Virginia cattle farmer said. “I have had such a long career with Dodge; I’ve been able to carry the Dodge banner for close to 16 years and I’ve been able to win four championships and 51 races with the brand. We’ve been able to build a championship team and I am honored to be a part of that.”
While Pruett’s not in the co*ckpit this season, she continues to travel to races. Her relationship with Dodge and Mopar began in 2016 and she is actively involved in the TSR Nitro’s team organization and its strategies at the track. “This extension,” Pruett said, “represents many aspects of our partnership – not only our enthusiasm to continue on-track success with the Dodge brand, but also as a pathway for Direct Connection to continue to connect with their customers through an established partnership. I hold Dodge and Direct Connection close to my heart and I am thrilled to continue our relationship.”
TSR’s Direct Connection//SRT machines are prepping for the next two-in-a-row NHRA races, the ninth and tenth races in a 20-contest campaign: this weekend’s two-day PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park just south of Richmond and the NHRA Summit Racing Nationals on June 28-30 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH.
