NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS RACE RECAP

WWT RACEWAY

LEAH PRUETT

Pellera Top Fuel dragster

Unofficial Points Standing: 4th

• 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. 8
3.722 seconds at 327.35 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 3
Q1: 3.730 at 331.69
Q2: 9.154 at 79.09
Q3: 3.722 at 327.35
Q4: 3.728 at 335.07

Race Results:
E1: .077 RT, 3.775 at 324.91 def. Kyle Wurtzel .151 RT, 3.733 at 333.00
E2: 3.770 at 332.59 lost to Shawn Langdon 3.714 at 337.83

Quotes:

“We started the weekend out with a good run in Q1 and felt really good about it. We had a little too much in Q2 and smoked the tires at the hit. Missing that run was probably the most detrimental to our qualifying position but we rallied and pressed forward to finish Saturday strong. We back the tune up off for Q3 and Q4 and both produced good runs, ripping through there to be some of the lowest of the session, even Q3 when the clocks were off and no one got bonus points.

“On race day, we backed the tune up off again for the first round. It was a good run, but it wasn’t clean. We were fighting new mechanical gremlins, definitely not what you want on race day but we managed to maneuver a catastrophic engine failure. We had valve train issues in the warm-up and ultimately we ended backing the tune up off too much. Typically, 99.9% of the time if you drop a valve, you’re going to blow up, so we were lucky. Both rounds, our competition came out swinging against us, which shows that our Pellera team is never to be taken lightly.

“How we qualified, missing it on that second session, seeded us a spot to race the best car on the property, the No. 1 qualifier, the points leader, and ultimately the race winner in that second round. The landscape of points opportunity was there: take out the points leader in the same round that all of our close points company just got eliminated in. The opportunity was there, and we were unable to seize it. Our power just wasn’t there.

“Overall we gained in completion rate. We are deep diving into these issues and have no other intentions besides swinging hard in Dallas.

Huge thank you to Pellera. Having them on the side of our Top Fuel dragster and out to the track and getting to work with their film crew, it made for an exciting weekend. They are a huge part of our TSR program. Obviously wish we could have gotten the job done for them and put this beautiful purple Pellera car in the winners circle, but every time we do land a win, it’s with their help.”

MATT HAGAN

American Rebel Light Beer Dodge
Funny Car

Unofficial Points Standing: 1st

• Current Funny Car points leader and regular season champion
• Four wins this season, Winternationals, Thunder Valley Nationals, Brainerd Nationals, Nationals at The Rock
• 59 career wins
• Broke a four race final round appearance streak, six final rounds this season
• 14 season streak with at least three wins
• Tied for winningest driver in Countdown history (19, ties w/ Greg Anderson)
• Four-time world champion (2023, 2020, 2014, 2011)
• Finished 2025 season runner-up

Qualifying: No. 3
3.882 seconds at 331.85 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 5
Q1: 3.910 at 335.07
Q2: 3.882 at 334.65
Q3: 3.999 at 283.31
Q4: 3.928 at 332.18

Race Results:
E1: 3.935 at 331.12 def. Terry Haddock 6.341 at 117.77
E2: 3.925 at 331.28 def. Spencer Hyde 11.170 at 81.32
Semis: 6.158 at 148.51 lost to Jordan Vandergriff 3.939 at 327.82

“The pressure is huge out here. Fortunately, I’m kind of old, I’ve been through it, experienced a lot, won some championships along the way, so you always feel like you can rise to the occasion and try to give your guys the best you can. Today was wild, we saw people out here winning on hole-shots, and guys and girls double-stepping. It’s intense, but that’s how we love it. I absolutely just dig in deep and try to work hard for these guys, and they’re doing the same thing giving me a great car.

“We had a great weekend in this American Rebel Light Beer Dodge Funny Car, nothing to hang our heads about. We did well in qualifying, picking up points, the last dog standing low qualifier on Friday night. Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler and Alex Conaway have this car dialed in. We had to make some changes before that semi-final. I definitely don’t claim to be a crew chief, but we did stick a new supercharger on there, and maybe it had a little bit more meat than we needed it to, and it smoked the tires, didn’t go two feet. But we’re still leaving here with the points lead. This is absolutely one of the toughest championship fights in a long time. It’s going to come down to the last race in Pomona, a dog fight to the end. We’re here for it. We’re in, we’ll see what happens out here. But I know I’m not voting for anybody, I’m going to root for me and this team.”