NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS: TONY STEWART RACING PREVIEW

SONOMA, Calif. (July 16, 2025) — The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway marks the start of the second half of the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule for the two-car team of Tony Stewart Racing. Leah Pruett will debut her Mobil 1 Top Fuel dragster livery while Matt Hagan returns to the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, the scheme he’s managed to pick up both of his 2026 wins in.

Returning to driving duties in 2026 after stepping out of the seat to start her family, Leah Pruett has already proven she and her Mobil 1 team should not be taken lightly. Currently sitting third in the Top Fuel championship standings, their 2026 campaign features a victory at the postponed New England Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, a runner-up finish at the Arizona Nationals, and a No. 1 qualifying position. Pruett enters this weekend after an uncharacteristically early exit at the most recent event in Norwalk, Ohio. For the first time in the 2026 season, Pruett had a first-round loss after qualifying No. 3.

“Winning will never get old, and early round losses never stop stinging, but I think I’ve learned that chasing a trophy isn’t what produces your best performance,” Pruett said. “Focusing on being completely prepared, present, and executing every run is what gives you the best chance to win. Sonoma is one of the few tracks I haven’t had some level of Sunday success at, so of course I’d love to add it to that list. But if we’re doing everything at the level we’re capable of (and we are), I trust the result will take care of itself.”

With two weekends away from the racetrack, Pruett is more than ready to head into the second half of the 2026 season. The recent hiatus from the track was far from downtime, it served as a vital preparation window, giving Pruett and her crew the chance to reset, refocus, and dial in their long-term championship strategy.

“I don’t really look at a break as stepping away from racing. It’s another phase of preparing to race,” Pruett explained. “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do isn’t adding more work, it’s giving your mind and body a chance to absorb all the work you’ve already done, and working on more long-term goals. I definitely missed being in the car these last couple weeks because that’s where I love to be. I also know that showing up restored is very different than just showing up eager. My goal is always to arrive with a full tank instead of running on whatever’s left.”

Though Sunday success has eluded Pruett at Sonoma Raceway, she did capture the Top Fuel No. 1 qualifying position at the facility in 2022 and finished runner-up to Steve Torrence in an incredibly close 2021 final round. Torrence took the victory by a mere 0.0027 seconds. Pruett also can’t deny the unique connection Sonoma has to her West Coast roots.

“I don’t have a specific memory, per se, but more of a true vibe, especially when being at the Heatwave [Sunglasses] booth signing for fans,” Pruett added. “The Cali culture that the fans bring, mixed with the team at Heatwave and the product always being true to their own coolness is refreshing. No-one is chasing anything, everyone is just living and enjoying the weather, the track, the speeds and the surrounding cities. Overall, it’s the vibe of racing at Sonoma that has always been my favorite.”

For her Funny Car teammate, Matt Hagan and his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage crew, Sonoma Raceway is one of the few tracks on the current NHRA schedule that they have not conquered. Hagan has been No. 1 qualifier three times (2009, 2013, 2025) and he has visited the finals at the Sonoma Nationals three times: (2012, 2019, 2021) but has never won. Most recently, he advanced to the semi-finals in 2025.

“Being in the finals that many times in Sonoma and not getting it done is heartbreaking honestly. Besides our new tracks this season, that’s the only track I haven’t won at on tour. It’s one that we really want,” Hagan said. “We’ve had two wins with Jason Johnson this season and this weekend we’re in the JHG car again, so maybe the luck continues and we can capitalize to get my first Sonoma Nationals win. I want that specialty wine goblet trophy.”

Currently sitting second in the Funny Car championship standings, Hagan’s 2026 campaign has already been highly successful. The TSR pilot has captured two national event victories this season doubling up with boss Tony Stewart at the NHRA Winternationals and then picking up a hometown win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Despite a first-round loss at the most recent event in Norwalk, Ohio, (just his second of the season), Hagan enters the Western Swing with plenty of momentum.

“I think we could get a win this year. We are already way further ahead this season than we were last season with two wins in our pocket and being second in points,” Hagan said. “Things are just going really well. We’ve had a few races that we’ve struggled at but at the end of the day, so has everybody else. We feel like we can capitalize on consistency and how well everybody’s working together. I think we have just as good a shot as anybody, probably better.”

The momentum and consistency have Hagan eager to return to the seat of his JHG Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car after a busy two week break.

“The two weeks felt like two months. I’m just so ready to get back. We’re going to be out there with the JHG crew, which is like family to me. We spent Fourth of July weekend with them at their house, but I got a lot of farming done too,” said Hagan, an entrepreneur and ranch owner. “It’s been super dry at home, we’ve been in a drought, and we finally got some rain. So I can take a deep breath now… I know that I’m leaving the farm in a good place, crops are going the way they need to and everything looks good. So I’m just anxious to get back to the race track. Get to Sonoma and spend a couple weeks out west. Maybe get some wins and have some fun doing it.”

Competition at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals begins with four rounds of qualifying – Friday at 5:30 pm and 8:10 p.m. and Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday with a qualifying show at 10 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10 p.m. ET.