Leah Pruett And Matt Hagan Target Potomac Nationals Wins At MDIR

Tony Stewart Racing heads into the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS ready to make history at one of the newest stops on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule. Leah Pruett’s Rinnai Top Fuel dragster and Matt Hagan’s American Rebel Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car will both enter Maryland International Raceway looking to capitalize on strong starts to the season as the NHRA tour begins a critical three-race swing.

Pruett Pushing To Continue Consistent Performance

For Leah Pruett, the seventh event of the 20-race NHRA season presents another opportunity to continue building consistency in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel category. Through six races, Pruett has advanced out of the first round at every event, a level of reliability that has helped push her into third place in the Top Fuel standings.

Combined with multiple top qualifying efforts and a runner-up finish at the Arizona Nationals, the Rinnai-backed team sits firmly in championship contention, trailing the points leader by 165 markers while maintaining a 45-point advantage over husband Tony Stewart in fourth place.

“I think this Rinnai team is looking forward to the potential for real fast and quick runs at Maryland International Raceway. The new package we’ve been working on boasts in that direction. So, if all the atmospheric conditions are right with being that close to the sea, if we can get our consistency down with this package, it could be a really promising weekend and an awesome show for the fans,” Pruett said.

While Maryland International Raceway is new to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Pruett has previously visited the facility as a spectator and believes the venue could deliver impressive performances for the nitro categories.

“I have been to that racetrack before as a spectator, so I’m familiar, a little bit, with the layout and the size. NHRA has done a great job helping to cater what we do at some of these smaller race tracks. I think they proved that in Valdosta at South Georgia Motorsports Park, not as many classes racing but keeping everything on time with constant competition, weather permitting. We’ll all find out together what the track surface is like, but I think there’s a chance for some impressive numbers,” Pruett continued.

The addition of Maryland International Raceway to the NHRA national event schedule also brings the sport closer to fans throughout the Northeast.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the fans, I’m sure we’ll see some familiar faces from Virginia, maybe Pennsylvania or even North Carolina,” Pruett said. “I hear from fans all the time that they wish we raced more in the Northeast, so this delivers, and I’m glad we could bring the NHRA tour their way.”

Hagan Wants A Big Points Weekend

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan enters the Potomac Nationals with a legitimate shot at taking over the points lead. The four-time NHRA Funny Car world champion currently sits just nine points out of first after a season highlighted by his victory at the historic 1,000th Funny Car race at the NHRA Winternationals.

Hagan and the American Rebel Dodge//SRT Hellcat team have also been remarkably consistent, posting three semifinal finishes and avoiding a single first-round loss through the opening six races of the season.

The veteran Funny Car driver heads to Maryland looking not only for another race win, but also for the team’s first No. 1 qualifying position of 2026. If successful, Hagan would extend his streak to 14 consecutive seasons with at least one No. 1 qualifier.

“We’re rolling into Maryland next, a new racetrack for everybody. It’s been so long since I’ve been in Maryland, so I’m looking forward to it. I tested there in a Funny Car, and I burnt the clutch out of it because I didn’t know there was a stop in it. They gave it back to me in a Ziploc bag. So, we’re going to try to do a little better than that when we show up there this weekend,” Hagan said.

As with every inaugural NHRA event, teams will face the challenge of racing at a facility with limited data and unfamiliar track conditions. Hagan knows lane choice and track surface quality could play a major role throughout the weekend.

“I just hope for a good racing surface. Lane choice is crucial, and it’s so easy to lose lane choice sometimes just by having a cylinder out, or your driver can lose it for you by staging it too far and trying to get a good reaction time. So hopefully the facility is great. It’ll be cool, though, new fans, new excitement, new deal,” Hagan said.

For Hagan, introducing NHRA drag racing to a fresh audience remains one of the most exciting aspects of the Potomac Nationals.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is that you come out to a race and you’re always meeting new folks at the ropes, getting their responses and how they react to what we do,” Hagan continued. “I’m sure we’re going to have a little carryover from other areas, fans who have been before, which will be great to see, but to pull in new fans, that’s exciting. It’s a new group of people that get to experience NHRA Drag Racing, that’s going to be cool for sure.”

Both Pruett and Hagan will also compete in Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying. Thanks to their semifinal appearances at Route 66 Raceway, the pair will receive rematches against the drivers who ended their race day runs in Chicago while competing for bonus championship points and prize money.

With championship battles tightening and the summer stretch of the NHRA season beginning, the Potomac Nationals could become another major turning point for Tony Stewart Racing.