The U.S. Nationals is a critical event for Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan. Both of the Tony Stewart Racing drivers have a lot to gain by doing well at “The Big GO,” and they’re ready to tackle the challenge. Having a big Monday at Indy could change the outcome of both drivers’ seasons.
There will also be some fresh stickers on Stewart’s dragster and Hagan’s funny car at the U.S. Nationals. These unique Dodge schemes were voted on by the fans and neither driver has seen the final product yet. The cars will have a Dodge Direct Connection theme that’s sure to grab plenty of attention on the track.
Stewart rolls into the U.S. Nationals just 45 points behind Shawn Langdon in the Top Fuel points standings. Each round win is worth 1.5 times more at Indy, and that means that Stewart is still within striking distance of Langdon and the regular-season points title.
“It’d be great to win the regular season championship. We’ve been really consistent this year until the last couple races, but we’ve been in a way better position than we were at this time last year. I’m proud of our team and proud of everyone’s effort. There’s no better way to reward the entire team than with a bonus from winning the regular season championship, so I’m excited about that,” Stewart said about the regular season points chase.
In Funny Car, Austin Prock may have a stranglehold on the regular season points lead, but Hagan is leading the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points. Once the Countdown to the Championship begins, those 16 bonus points Hagan earned in Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge could be the difference in winning the world championship.
“Coming into Indy with all those #2Fast2Tasty points and knowing they’ll get added to our total when they reset is really big. We’ve seen championships come down to two points, so every point matters. Knowing we’ve accumulated the most points in the challenge is great. You don’t always think about it during the regular season, but then they reset, and it can add up to a round or two sometimes. The competition is so tough, so everything matters. We’re excited about heading to Indy. We have a new crew chief (Mike Knudsen), and I think he’s done extremely well. I’m excited for what the future brings,” Hagan said.