NHRA WINTERNATIONALS PREVIEW

LEAH PRUETT AND MATT HAGAN RIDING MOMENTUM

POMONA, Calif. (April 08, 2026) – Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan are keeping their standards high as they enter this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Pruett will feature Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters as her Top Fuel dragster’s primary livery for the first time in the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season while teammate Matt Hagan will feature Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage on his Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car.

Pruett, who stepped back into the seat of her Dodge dragster after starting a family, hasn’t missed a beat since her return. Currently fourth in points, Pruett qualified third at the season opener in Gainesville, Florida before a quarterfinal exit and she followed up that performance with a No. 2 qualifying position and runner-up finish at the NHRA Arizona Nationals just over two weeks ago.

“Over the course of history, the Winternationals has been the kick-off race for the NHRA, where you first started to find your footing for the season. This year, being third on the schedule and an already 14 laps in, I feel an elevated level of preparedness for the Winternationals that I’ve never felt before,” said Pruett who won the 2017 and 2021 Winternationals. “I am more comfortable in the car than even at the start of the season. Winning the Winternationals in the past meant you hit the ground running. Right now, we already have momentum. It can be done; we can win and knowing we are capable is what excites me most.”

Pruett, who with husband Tony Stewart splits her residence between Columbus, Indiana and Lake Havasu, Arizona, is originally from Redlands, California, just about 40 miles from In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

“Racing in Southern California and at the Pomona Dragstrip specifically is forever sentimental because it’s home for me,” Pruett said. “Those purple mountains visible from the staging lanes and behind the tower always bring a sense of majesty to the races. That combined with not only the NHRA heritage but my own, puts it on another level.”

The last time Pruett was in the driver’s seat at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip was the NHRA Finals of 2023 where she faced off in a winner-takes-the-championship final round against now two-time and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta. Pruett finished runner-up and third in the championship points standings. But a lot has happened since then.

“I’ve thought a lot about that day, that final round. Finishing a race weekend with a Wally is always the goal. Getting the win this weekend in Pomona would also simultaneously finish that last piece of unfinished business. But that chapter has closed and so much life has taken place since then,” Pruett explained. “The Winternationals carries with it new beginnings, with new orders of business that are far greater than just one round at one racetrack against one team.”

Pruett will have extra to compete for this weekend. The Top Fuel team earned a spot in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge by making it past the quarterfinals in Arizona. Pruett will have a rematch against semifinal opponent Kalitta during Saturday qualifying.

“I am in my element when I’m competing and the more I can be in that element, the better. No simulator in the world can give you the experience that something like the Tortilla Tussle (aka the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge) does,” Pruett said. “I’ve always thought the #2Fast2Tasty challenge was neat. It gives fans a chance to see competition on Saturday and if you couldn’t put down great qualifying on Friday, it still gets you the chance to qualify at the back of your class in the session. There’s the added value of the bonus championship points and a bit of a cash bonus for the guys. So, it’s a win all the way around to be in it.”

On the Funny Car side, Matt Hagan and his JHG team will also compete in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Hagan raced to a semifinal finish in Arizona. He’ll get the chance to redeem himself against 2025 Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde for a chance at the bonus points and cash prize.

“The Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, racing within a race, is always great. I think it gives you an opportunity to get your adrenaline up and get out there and recreate what could happen on Sunday,” said Hagan who took home the overall Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge trophy at the end of the regular season last year. “Competition is competition, I don’t care whether we’re racing lawn mowers or racing fuel Funny Cars. You just want to see the win light come on and know that you did a better job than the person beside you. It’s another accomplishment and Mission Foods have done a great job putting money back in our guys’ pockets and give them something to be motivated about. I want to thank Mission Foods for continuing this program, continuing the money and continuing to give out the trophies and accolades that come along with it.”

Hagan finished second in the 2025 NHRA championship points battle after winning what would be the final race of the season in Las Vegas due to a rain out at the NHRA Finals. He’s kicked off the 2026 season with a No. 5 qualifying position and quarterfinal exit in Gainesville, Florida and a No. 4 qualifying effort and semifinal finish in Arizona, putting him fifth heading into race three of 20.

“Momentum is everything. We ended 2025 really strong. We didn’t get the chance to compete in Pomona at the Finals I really thought we had something to really contend for the championship, and we just had it pulled out from underneath our feet,” Hagan said. “But we’re still right there. Qualifying well, winning rounds. And you know, Pomona has been good to me. It’s one of the racetracks where we’ve had a lot of wins, been crowned champion there multiple times. Long story short, track record is good there.”

Hagan is the winningest active Funny Car driver at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip with seven victories at the facility, second overall only to legend John Force who has 17. At no track has Hagan raced in more final rounds; at the Winternationals alone Hagan has made seven final round appearances with a total of four wins (2023, 2018, 2017, 2015).

“We have a lot of momentum and things are going well so I’m excited to get out to Pomona and put on a show for these fans. I think that’s the biggest thing that we forget sometimes when we get so caught up in the winning and the glory and all the all the other things that come along with it,” Hagan said. “You have to remember you have to put on a great show because without our fans we don’t get to do this. A great show sells tickets and a great side-by-side drag race sells tickets and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing out there this weekend.”

Competition at the NHRA Winternantionals at In-N-Out Pomona Drag Strip begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning Sunday with a qualifying show at 11:30 a.m. ET and a Finals show at 6:30 p.m. ET.