There probably isn’t a busier or more important weekend on the NHRA calendar than the U.S. Nationals, and Tony Stewart Racing arrives at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with two teams capable of making plenty of noise.
Leah Pruett heads into the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals coming off one of her strongest performance weekends of the season at Brainerd International Raceway. Matt Hagan arrives in even better shape after winning Brainerd, taking over the Funny Car points lead, and extending an impressive streak of multi-win seasons.
Both TSR teams also stayed behind after Brainerd to test, which could prove important during a weekend that features points-and-a-half, specialty races, the end of the regular season, and the biggest trophy in drag racing.
Leah Pruett Brings Career-Best Speed To Indy
Pruett didn’t leave Brainerd with the Wally, but the numbers showed just how strong her Dodge Top Fuel dragster has become. She advanced to the semifinals and recorded the quickest elimination pass of the event with a 3.702-second run. She also set a new career-best speed at 341.08 mph, which was the fastest pass of the entire Brainerd weekend.
Instead of loading everything into the transporter and heading home, the team stayed for Monday testing.
“Testing went excellent,” Pruett said. “We worked closely with Dodge and their team on a couple long-term projects. We were also able to make some large swings, so I would say, it was a highly educational test day. Personally, I had been sick all race weekend and was at the height of fighting off the yuck on Monday, which meant the inside of my visor got to see a lot of snot time when the chutes hit. Looking forward to a healthy fun fast U.S. Nationals this weekend.”
Pruett Still Wants A Top Fuel U.S. Nationals Trophy
Pruett already owns U.S. Nationals hardware, just not the one she wants most. She won the Factory Stock Showdown title at Indy in 2018. Her best Top Fuel result came in 2020 when she finished runner-up to Shawn Langdon while recording the quickest elapsed time of the event at 3.703 seconds.
A Top Fuel U.S. Nationals win remains one of the major boxes left unchecked on her résumé.
“The importance of this race lies within the heritage and legacy that has been built over decades,” Pruett said. “The tangible importance is the opportunity to earn points and a half, which can definitely shake things up for many teams. The goal is to ultimately finish as high in points as we can to get the best run at a championship. The sentimental value of winning the U.S. Nationals carries just as much importance; all teams are bringing their absolute A-game, and winning The Big Go just speaks volumes others can’t.”
The points-and-a-half format only increases the stakes. Indy is the final regular-season event before the standings are reset for the Countdown to the Championship, so every qualifying bonus point and elimination-round win can help shape the playoff order.
Indy Feels Like A Nitro Homecoming
For Pruett, Indianapolis has also taken on a different feel as more teams and racers have established themselves around Brownsburg.
“Indy now feels like more of a racer’s homecoming,” Pruett noted. “It’s home to so many in the nitro ranks, with friends and family in attendance more than ever. The US national’s vibe is undeniable, which just means the consistency of being cool, calm, and collected will be at an all-time high. It’s the perfect race to prepare for Countdown pressures.”
Matt Hagan Rolls Into Indy With The Funny Car Points Lead
Hagan couldn’t ask for much more momentum. The four-time Funny Car world champion won the Brainerd Nationals two weeks ago, giving him his third victory of the 2026 season and moving him into the Funny Car points lead.
His other wins came at the Winternationals and Thunder Valley Nationals. The Brainerd victory also extended a remarkable streak: Hagan has now won at least three races in 14 consecutive seasons.
Still, even with a race-winning car and the points lead, Hagan understands how quickly Indy can humble a team.
“We have a great car, and we had a great test session,” Hagan noted. “We just want to race. We have a lot of momentum and we’re going to carry that into Indy to see what we can do. Unfortunately, with these Funny Cars, you can do all that and say all that, and sometimes it’s just hard to even qualify. There are going to be 24 cars there, and it’s a big field, so just getting in the show is step one.”
That 24-car entry list should make qualifying one of the most intense portions of the entire weekend.
Hagan Has Serious History At Indianapolis
Hagan already owns a U.S. Nationals victory, winning the race in 2016. One year later, he produced one of the most memorable performance weekends of his career, setting Indianapolis Raceway Park track records for elapsed time and speed with a 3.799-second pass at 338.77 mph.
That performance came while earning the most recent of his five U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifying positions. Hagan also qualified No. 1 at Indy in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2016.
His one complaint about winning the event in 2016? He was too sick to enjoy it.
“I’ve been blessed to win Indy, but I was super sick when I did,” Hagan recalled. “Every time I pulled the parachutes, all this snot would come out and hit the visor, and I was just like, ‘Golly, can this just be over?’ So I never really got to celebrate Indy. I just wanted to take some NyQuil and go to bed. It would be amazing to be able to win and actually spend the time with my guys and celebrate. It’s one of those races that you definitely don’t want to leave the sport without winning, so we’re glad we’ve accomplished that, but there are just a lot of things that you miss out on when you’re not feeling good.”
Hagan Has Multiple Chances To Win At The Big Go
Monday’s U.S. Nationals eliminations aren’t the only opportunity for Hagan to collect hardware. He’ll enter the PlayNHRA All-Star Callout as the No. 2 seed. Hagan will have the second opportunity to select an opponent unless No. 1 seed Jack Beckman chooses him first.
Hagan was the Callout runner-up in both 2022 and 2023. He’ll also compete in the final Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of 2026. Add the regular-season championship and the U.S. Nationals itself, and Hagan has a lot of money, points, and trophies available during one weekend.
“The Big Go and the importance of that race is everything,” Hagan said. “It’s a marathon, right? You’ve got to have some stuff left in the tank by Monday, but we start racing right off the rip. Between the Callout, the Too Fast Too Tasty, the opportunity for the regular season championship, and then the event itself, there’s just a lot going on. It’s a chance to win a little over $350 grand, I think. I haven’t really done the math on that, but it’s somewhere way up there—especially when we also only race for $500,000 at the end of the season championship. That’s a pretty big payday, so I’ve got to get locked in. Indy to me is obviously the biggest race of the year considering what’s at stake, and being in the position that we’re in to really truly have an opportunity to win the season championship. It’s not like we’re sitting sixth and hoping something happens. It’s important, so yeah, it’s a huge race, but it’s also one for the history books, too.
Indy Helped Launch Hagan’s Professional Career
Hagan’s connection to Indianapolis goes well beyond his 2016 victory and track records. The 2008 U.S. Nationals played a huge role in sending his career toward championship-level Funny Car competition.
“I remember my first Indy in 2008—I qualified, but some of the big names in the sport who raced for Don Schumacher Racing at the time never made the show,” Hagan reflected. “It really raised Don Schumacher’s eyebrow, I guess. He came through my pit and was like, ‘Who are you, and what’s the deal?’ He just had one of his cars not qualify while we got in, and he looked at Scelzi retiring and said, ‘I need a wheelman. Why don’t you sell your junk and come drive mine?’ At the time, I was blown away—I didn’t really even know who Don Schumacher was because I was running IHRA and was just in my little bubble. When I got to digging and looking I was just like, ‘Wow.’ So, it all really started right there at Indy for my career. I’ve got some history there for sure, some really rough memories along the way, but there’s a lot of love at Indy for me.”
Tony Stewart Racing couldn’t ask for much better circumstances entering the biggest race of the regular season.
Pruett is coming off a semifinal appearance, a career-best 341.08-mph run, and a productive test session. She has already won Indy in Factory Stock Showdown and is still chasing her first Top Fuel victory at the Big Go. Hagan arrives as the most recent Funny Car winner and the points leader. He has a U.S. Nationals trophy already, but this weekend gives him opportunities to win the Callout, #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, regular-season championship, and the U.S. Nationals itself.
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