NHRA GATORNATIONALS PREVIEW

LEAH PRUETT MAKES HER NHRA DRIVING RETURN
MATT HAGAN READY TO START 2026 ON A HIGH NOTE

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 04, 2026) – Tony Stewart Racing enters the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway with Leah Pruett back in the seat of her Dodge Top Fuel dragster and four-time world champion Matt Hagan behind the wheel of the Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car.

During Friday’s first qualifying session, Pruett, a 12-time Top Fuel national event winner, will make her first competitive pass since stepping out of the seat to start her family in 2023.

“To say this race is just like any other would be a massive understatement. I’ve been working for months to be prepared for this weekend. The anticipation is high. I’m going to have to try and lie to my body, tell it that it’s just another race,” Pruett said. “I haven’t made a side-by-side pass with someone in years, so I am very much looking forward to that, and the cadence of a race weekend. The competitive spirit inside of me has been reignited in a way that only driving a Top Fuel dragster with this team can do.”

Pruett is looking for her first victory at the Gatornationals. It will be the 11th time she’s competed in Top Fuel at Gainesville Raceway. After six days of testing at the facility, the Top Fuel favorite is well-poised for a successful weekend.

“The test sessions have been very promising in so many ways both with the car and the team performance wise. It’s shown me that some things I’ve been working on in the off season have worked, and others I’ve had to scrap and regroup, and continue to fine tune; all the way down to the last testing day,” Pruett said. “Gainesville and the Gatornationals has always stood for new beginnings for me. From the first time I drove a Pro Mod, to launching TSR Nitro, to now and my return to the seat. I’ve never won this race, but it would be a huge milestone in and of itself. Our goals will be the same as they’ve always been, good full pulls, low qualifying times, keeping my reaction times low, and turning on win lights.”

Tony Stewart Racing Funny Car teammate Matt Hagan is entering his 19th professional NHRA season looking for his fifth NHRA title crown. Hagan and his Dodge Funny Car team will be chasing a third victory at Gainesville Raceway. He picked up back-to-back wins in 2022, the first victory for the newly formed Tony Stewart Racing Nitro team, and 2023 and had a runner-up finish in 2018.

“The Gainesville Gatornationals is always a great event. It’s a big race and a cool way to kick the season off. It’s always usually sold out, and it looks like we’re going to have some great weather so I’m super excited about it and I can’t wait to get going,” said Hagan who has also secured three No. 1 qualifying positions at the facility. “There’s going to be 19 Funny Cars onsite so goal one will be to just get down the racetrack and get on the board. You need to qualify before you worry about winning the race and Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler do a really good job of keeping that mentality. Having nineteen cars is no joke. There will be guys sitting on the sideline watching on Sunday and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that’s not us.

“You never know what can happen with nitro in the tank, but I’m fired up to debut this Dodge//SRT Hellcat with its patriotic theme,” said Hagan who got his Alcohol Funny Car license at Gainesville Raceway. “I’ve got some great memories here. Getting my Alcohol license, getting the first win for Tony Stewart Racing here. I’m ready to get that Gator trophy with the Wally this weekend. I think we got a shot at it and I’m excited about it.”

The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals kicks off with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. and Saturday at 12:35 and 3:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 10 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday with a qualifying show at 10 a.m. and eliminations coverage at noon ET.