Auto Club NHRA Finals Event Recap

Auto Club NHRA Finals

Nov. 11-13 | Pomona, California

Event Recap

Leah Pruett, driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster:

●  Earned No. 16 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (9.948 ET at 69.35 mph).

●  Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.669 ET at 329.67 mph).

●  Scored two bonus points for third-quickest run of the session.

●  Maintained No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (3.739 ET at 323.12 mph).

●  Secured No. 4 qualifying position based off Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Pruett ran a 3.692 ET at 324.59 mph.

●  Advanced to Round 2 on Sunday:

    ●  Round 1: 4.959 ET at 150.20 mph, defeated Alex Laughlin (6.518 ET at 121.61 mph).

    ●  Round 2: 3.721 ET at 324.20 mph, lost to Austin Prock (3.704 ET at 329.18 mph).

●  Finished 11^th in the Top Fuel championship standings, 301 points behind champion Brittany Force.

Matt Hagan, driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car:

●  Earned No. 10 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (4.199 ET at 220.66 mph).

●  Earned No. 2 provisional qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.844 ET at 323.58 mph).

●  Scored four bonus points for quickest run of the session.

●  Maintained No. 2 provisional qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (3.867 ET at 326.56 mph).

●  Secured No. 3 qualifying position based off Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 4.057 ET at 245.32 mph.

●  Ran a 6.075 ET at 124.87 mph in Round 1 of eliminations on Sunday, lost to Steven Densham (4.170 ET at 269.94 mph).

●  Finished third in the Funny Car championship standings, 95 points behind champion Ron Capps.

Notes of Interest

●  Hagan earned his 10^th straight top-10 finish in the championship standings. It was also his ninth top-three finish in 14 seasons.

●  Hagan earned a career-high 42 round wins this year. His previous high was 40 round wins, set in 2013 and again in 2016.

●  The 2022 season marked the 10^th straight year Hagan has earned at least three wins. He was a four-time victor in 2022.

●  Pruett’s Q2 run on Saturday at 3.669 seconds saw her quickest ET of the season.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster

“Our raceday with the Dodge Power Brokers dragster was the epitome of hard work and execution, and it embodied the team’s competitive spirit and skill. During round one, we needed to get down the track against (Alex) Laughlin, who is a fierce contender. Just like many other competitors today, we had some challenges and smoked the tires. Engines don’t love when you pedal the car. Cylinders get mixed up and bad things happen. We had a huge explosion from top to bottom – from the injector down to the oil pan. We had to replace every part of the engine. Our turnaround and recovery for the second round of eliminations is what is the most impressive. We had zero problems in warmup, made our call on time and ran a very competitive .72. We didn’t believe a 3.70 was out there to be had on the track, so that’s not what we pushed for. We are very proud to be able to hang our hat on quality turnarounds and having the right parts available to piece on the car when you have the worse situation available and to be able to do it where you’re only seven-thousandths away from a win light. Personally, getting a holeshot on (Austin) Prock is a highlight for me this season. I’ve been working really hard on consistency and I have my own notebook of what I do when I’m able to get it right like that and that’s got to last you four months in the offseason. We finished strong and we have everything to be proud of. The recovery we had for the second round of eliminations is a reflection of our rebound this season and looking toward 2023 is going to be even more impressive.”

Matt Hagan, Driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

“I have to thank Dodge Power Brokers for putting a great racecar underneath me all season and Tony Stewart Racing for their phenomenal work. To be able to work for a guy like Tony Stewart has been, hands down, one of the best experiences of my life. He’s a solid guy and such a good dude and creates a great work environment. I’m just excited to be able to drive for him and to continue to drive for him. I’m proud of my crew guys for the blood, sweat and tears they put in all year long. It’s really, really tough to lose the first round like that in a championship hunt and just know that when you watch him cross the finish line over there that your season’s over. It’s just one of those things where it’s tough because you can taste it, you know you’re there and that you’re capable, but it just wasn’t meant to be today. At the end of the day, we got a lot of work ahead of us this offseason and a lot of innovation to work on. I’m just really proud of my guys, really proud of our sponsors, and proud of the season we’ve had. We won four races this year, but it can always be better. All in all, I just know these guys are going to come back and we’re going be better and stronger.”

Next Up

The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season kicks off March 10-12 with the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.