DODGE NHRA GREAT LAKES NATIONALS RACE RECAP

U.S. 131 MOTORSPORTS PARK

MATT HAGAN
Purple Haze Super Bee Dodge Charger Funny Car

Unofficial Points Standing:
1st
Current Funny Car points leader and regular season champion
111th final round of his career
Sixth final round of the season
Three wins this season (Winternationals, Thunder Valley Nationals, Brainerd Nationals)
14 season streak with at least three wins
Four-time world champion (2023, 2020, 2014, 2011)
Finished 2025 season runner-up

Qualifying:
No. 3, 3.886 seconds at 330.88 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 3
Q1: 14.728 at 44.23
Q2: 3.961 at 327.27
Q3: 3.934 at 329.91
Q4: 3.886 at 326.40

Race Results:
E1: 4.287 at 303.85 def. Joey Haas 4.677 at 218.77
E2: 3.885 at 330.40 def. Alexis DeJoria 7.435 at 87.16
Semis: .029 RT, 3.864 at 333.09 def. Jack Beckman .041 RT, 3.864 at 333.09
Finals: 8.357 at 84.97 lost to Jordan Vandergriff 3.858 at 329.43

Quotes:
“Debuting the Dodge ‘Purple Haze’ Super Bee colors this weekend was pretty awesome for the Dodge Great Lakes Nationals. Obviously, we would have loved to win this one in Michigan for the Dodge folks. We were pressing for the final. We had lane choice and we wanted to get in a strong run. Mike (Knudsen, crew chief), Phil (Shuler, co-crew chief) and Alex (Conaway, car chief) put a good car under me this weekend. And I was able to help the team with a pedal job in the first round and hole shot in the semifinals. Hope that makes up for some of the times I mess up,” Hagan said. “Now we’ll roll into Rockingham next weekend still in the points lead. I’m anxious to get there. We hope we can do this again next weekend. We want to put this Dodge in the winner’s circle, and we were close today. But I think we will. That semifinals race with Jack (Beckman) was unbelievable. To have the same exact ET (Elapsed Time at 3.864 sec.) and speed (333.09 mph). How do you draw that up? It came down to reaction time off the line. I have a lot of respect for Jack. He was my teammate for many years. And that John Force camp will be tough the rest of the year. Hats off to Mike (Knudsen) to put a race car under me to compete with those Force cars.”

LEAH PRUETT
Purple Haze Dodge
Top Fuel dragster

Unofficial Points Standing:
5th

Only her second first round exit of the season
13-time NHRA National Event Winner
Finished 2023 runner-up in championship points
Finished runner-up up at the 2026 NHRA Arizona Nationals
Has two No. 1s this season (Winternationals, Thunder Valley Nationals)
Won NHRA New England Nationals with No. 1 qualifying run Friday night at Bristol Dragway

Qualifying:
No. 5, 3.772 seconds at 326.24 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 1
Q1: 3.743 at 328.23
Q2: 4.569 at 164.35
Q3: 9.332 at 70.88
Q4: 7.082 at 97.36

Race Results:
E1: 3.766 at 318.47 lost to Will Smith 3.699 at 336.83

Quotes:

“I think the phrase, just a bad deal, comes into play this weekend. You know, we talk a lot about when we do well, and how we’ve done well, but this weekend, we did not do well. It started in qualifying. We really struggled and that seated us against the only dragster that had made it down all four qualifying runs,” Pruett said. “Throughout qualifying we made some big moves but we don’t have a consistent package for these conditions. So there were a lot of teaching moments throughout the weekend and we were able to apply them to race day and get down the racetrack, unfortunately, we had some parts failures resulting in a hole going out and we weren’t able to get to the finish line first.

“I think you can you can be disappointed and hopeful at the same time. That’s the gist of it here. Dodge race, new livery, opportunity to build a platform for these cool track conditions, didn’t get the win light in that first round, but it was only the second time this season. Bad deal, bad timing,” Pruett continued. “This team has a veteran mentality, we aren’t beating ourselves down after that first round loss, that’s not our M.O. We did lean a lot this weekend and we know there’s a chance we’ll use what we learned later in this Countdown.

“I couldn’t be more eager to get back in the Dodge Top Fuel dragster, its another new race track up next, but I’d take any race track, even on the moon, doesn’t matter, just ready to get back at it,” Pruett continued. “Maybe I’ll have a chance to get back to being the fastest Stewart in the household. Tony just took that label today in the second round but I’ll remind him I’m still the quickest.”