NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Tony Stewart Racing will make its official NHRA debut at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com with Leah Pruett in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan in Funny Car wheeling their respective Dodge Power Brokers entries.

The Pomona event serves as a homecoming for Pruett as she grew up approximately 35 miles east of the track in Redlands, Calif. Her Top Fuel debut came in Pomona in the 2009 Auto Club NHRA Finals and two of her nine career Top Fuel wins have come in Pomona (2017 and 2021 Winternationals). Additionally, Pruett’s career-best elapsed time of 3.631 came at the 2018 Finals in Pomona and two of her 12 No. 1 qualifying efforts have come in Pomona (2017 Winternationals and 2018 Finals).

Q: Being with a new team at TSR, does the start of this season feel different?

Pruett: “I haven’t felt any two seasons feel the same at the start of the year, but this one is most definitely the largest difference. A new race car, a new group of crewmembers, a new co-crew chief, Neal Strausbaugh’s first season as a crew chief – I’m used to change, so all these things bring comfort in their newness. What I’m not used to, but have always had a desire for, was to race with my spouse. This one happens to be my team owner, but also the new feeling has been operating in the management structure of this organization and taking on and sharing new responsibilities. 

"To say it’s business as usual would be far from correct, and until I put on the helmet for the first time during a race event, I can’t say exactly what will be different, but I already know it will be, and I expect to enjoy our successes even more than before.”
 
For the novice drag racing fan, why is Pomona such a legendary and prominent venue for the NHRA?

Pruett: “Professional drag racing is rooted in Southern California, and Pomona has been the foundation, literally, of generations of drag racing legends. SoCal may no longer be the physical center of the highest tier of drag racing as it once was – as that is now Brownsburg, Ind. – but the magic of its location and the heritage it holds is still undeniable.”
 
Explain the nuances of drag racing in Pomona. Is it like any of the other venues on the NHRA circuit, or does it have enough characteristics that make it unique?

Pruett: “I might be biased, but I think it’s the most gorgeous track on the circuit. It’s surrounded by palm trees, purple mountain majesties, and an incredible Mexican food joint on the corner there at the opposite end of the NHRA museum. Pomona is ground zero for NHRA Drag Racing, and it’s also where I began racing at just age 8. From the tower where I sang the national anthem as a kid, to hanging in the bleachers as a teenager with my friends, to roaming the pits, excited if I knew anyone on a team or got to take home a clutch disc or connecting rod, that was my life, and those memories came from Pomona. 

I’ve won there before in Top Fuel, and I didn’t think it could get any bigger than that moment, but that was because of what I didn’t know. With what I know now, if we can duplicate that same success from 2018 in our Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster, it will be a new milestone for me in Pomona, no doubt.”
 
Climate and weather play a big part in dialing in your dragster. What do you deal with in Pomona to get your car right?

Pruett: “We’re back to our regularly scheduled Winternationals programming, being in February as opposed to July where it was last year, so that’s ideal for us. We prefer the cooler, drier conditions for making maximum horsepower, and that’s what it looks like we’ll get this weekend. The new Pomona surface will take some time to get worked in, which is probably why they have cars starting to run on Wednesday. 

"Pomona has a reputation for creating world-record conditions, and I think the new track surface will help that for the second race of the season and for running later in the evening. This weekend we will be running in the afternoon instead of at night, which is really where those record conditions are at.”

Three-time Funny Car champion and 39-time event winner Hagan has six wins and four No. 1 qualifiers in Pomona. He owns both ends of the Funny Car track record in Pomona, 3.822 seconds at 335.57 mph, set at the 2017 Winternationals.
 
Hagan also was the winner of the quickest side-by-side race in NHRA Funny Car history, which took place in Pomona during the 2018 Winternationals when Hagan ran a 3.823 to Robert Hight’s 3.866.
 
Being with a new team at TSR, does the start of this season feel different?

Hagan: “We’re coming up on my 15th year of racing, and honestly, it does feel different. Our team’s morale and charisma is different. These guys are super excited to be here, and Tony Stewart has been great to work for. It’s laid back, but business as usual for us. We know what we have to do. I’ve won multiple championships out here and have won a lot of races along the way. Our core group of guys between my crew chief, my assistant crew chief, my car chief, and myself, we know what we have to do to get it done in our Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car. 

"Out here, everyone gives 100 percent no matter what. There’s not a day where you can ask for any more from anybody because everyone is trying as hard as they can. I think Tony as a racer and competitor, he sees that.”
 
Why is Pomona such a legendary and prominent venue for the NHRA?

Hagan: “Pomona is such a legendary place because we start there, we finish there, and history is made there. It’s where you crown champions. I’ve been fortunate enough to run there quite a few times, but I’ve also been fortunate enough to be crowned a champion there. That’s something that no amount of money can buy, and that’s something no one can take away from me. You are 10 people with one goal and you’re surrounded by people who helped you get there. It’s such a special and magical place because of how it ends there. You’re able to see history get made every year there.”
 
Explain the nuances of drag racing in Pomona. 

Hagan: “Pomona is unique in and of itself. It’s kind of short, so when you show up there, you know you better have your parachutes together and a handful of brake. It makes you be more aware and more prepared as a driver to start the season. You have to be more tuned in to what you’re doing because the shutdown isn’t quite as long as other tracks. It makes you on top of your game to start the season. 

"Pomona is a special place because drag racing originated in California, so there are so many legends that show up there. Back in the day, people were on fire and upside down there. They had to go through so much to put on a show. We’re so fortunate nowadays that we have so much safety equipment and fire gear to keep us safe. I have a lot of respect for all the legends that started out there and made the sport what it is today.”
 
Climate and weather play a big part in dialing in your dragster. What do you deal with in Pomona to get your car right?

Hagan: “The weather in Pomona is always changing, but I remind myself that the conditions are the same for everyone. That’s what our crew chiefs do so well because they take the conditions, their notes, and the data they've compiled over the years to be able to go up there and make a solid run. I’m so lucky with Dickie Venables because he has been doing this for a very long time, so he has a lot of data, gut knowledge, and instinct. I think we’re so successful because of Dickie and the calls he makes.”