Hagan Eyes Fifth Title, Pruett Plans Emotional Farewell at NHRA Finals in Pomona

As the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season arrives at its dramatic conclusion at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) enters the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals carrying a potent mix of championship focus and personal history.

Heading into the final event of the Countdown to the Championship, four-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan and the Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car team lead the standings, while Top Fuel star Leah Pruett and her Dodge team prepare for an emotional return to her home track.

Driving the TSR Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car, Hagan has led the standings since the start of the Countdown. After a standout campaign highlighted by his 59th career victory at Rockingham and a runner-up finish in Dallas, Hagan enters eliminations holding a 39-point advantage over his closest competitor, Jordan Vandergriff.

If Hagan clinches the crown this weekend, he will secure his fifth career Funny Car World Championship. The title would break a tie with legends Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme, placing Hagan second on the all-time Funny Car championships list behind only John Force.

“You know, everybody’s asking, ‘How are your nerves? How are you feeling?’ and all that kind of stuff,” Hagan said. “Honestly, I’m pretty good. I think the biggest thing you have to realize is that you can’t control everything. You can leave on time, keep it in the groove, but you just have to hope to see that win light come on.

“From what I saw—or what the math looks like—if we can stay 31 points ahead going into Sunday, then we go to the semifinals and it’s game over,” Hagan explained. “It would be great, magical, and mystical if all that happens, but you also have to prepare yourself for it not to happen. You have to be realistic. Our closest competitor, Jordan Vandergriff, that team had a great race in Vegas and we stubbed our toe a little bit, but we just have to have a great race in Pomona. The biggest thing you have to do is just enjoy the ride, show up, and just go race.”

Pomona has long been Hagan’s most successful venue on the circuit. He holds a career-best 59 round wins and eight race victories at the track, including three World Finals wins (2011, 2013, 2014) and five Winternationals titles. His most recent appearance at the Southern California track came in April, where he defeated Ron Capps for NHRA’s 1,000th Funny Car victory.

“I think people get so knotted up about all of this. You can go back and Monday-quarterback everything—the finals where you knocked the tires off here, dropped a cylinder out there, or got left on, whatever it may be,” Hagan said. “You can pick it all apart, but at the end of the day, we’re here, we’re racing, and we’ve got a shot. I think that’s all you can really hope for: to just have a real shot at this championship. I sure do like our chances coming in leading.”

“Heading into Pomona, we’re going to have some fun, step on the gas, and let it be what it’s going to be,” Hagan added. “I think the cards have already been dealt—it’s just a matter of playing your hand, flipping the cards over, and seeing what you’ve got. Jordan Vandergriff is a good kid. If it comes down to it, there are a whole lot worse people out there that I’d hate to lose to. But I know he’s fighting for his first one, and I’m fighting for my fifth. When you put it in perspective, we’re very blessed to be out here fighting for a fifth championship. At the end of the day, that’s where my head is at.”

In the Top Fuel ranks, Leah Pruett arrives in Southern California carrying strong late-season momentum following a final-round appearance at the MOPAR Las Vegas Nationals. Pruett, who earned her 13th career Top Fuel victory earlier this year when she won the New England Nationals, holds a special connection to Pomona. Being from Redlands, California, the venue is her home track and where she started her drag racing career.

“I’d say my anticipation for this Pomona race is at a level seven out of 10,” Pruett said. “Even though it’s been a long season, it feels like it hasn’t been long enough, and I wish we could keep racing in the Countdown. It’s not a 10 simply because of the bittersweet nature of it all, but I’ve really wrapped my head and heart around the sweetness.

“It’s really like a raspberry—it’s actually my favorite berry of all time, and (her son) Dom’s too. It’s pretty tart, but that tartness is what makes it a favorite,” Pruett reflected. “I compare that to Pomona because it’s my home track. It’s where I made my first pass down a drag strip, where I’ve won the Winternationals multiple times, and where I locked up my Nostalgia championship. Most of my family has always gone to Pomona and will be at this race. The tartness comes from knowing I won’t be racing here again for some time, but that 70% sweetness is incredible.”

Pruett has 21 Top Fuel round wins and two victories (both at the Winternationals) at the famed facility. In her last World Finals appearance in 2023, Pruett staged a memorable drive through former champions Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown, and Steve Torrence to reach the final round, ultimately finishing runner-up. As she steps back from full-time driving to focus on her family, Pruett maintains a clear objective for her final start of the season.

“Looking at the culmination of my professional drag racing career, it’s astonishing to reflect on everything I’ve navigated to reach a point where I’m choosing not to race. That shows how deep my love for my family is,” Pruett shared. “You simply cannot have two number-one priorities and still compete at the level required to be a champion. While my priority for next season is crystal clear, my priority for this weekend is just as clear: finish the job. We want to win the race that we finished runner-up at the last time I competed at this event and showcase our absolute best performance. Coming into Pomona with real momentum off Vegas and a genuine shot at winning the World Finals makes me immensely proud.”