The 56th NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway is the first event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ 20-race calendar in 2025. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) brings its two full-time entries – one in Top Fuel for Tony Stewart and one in Funny Car for 52-time Funny Car winner and four-time champion Matt Hagan – to the north-central Florida track eyeing continued progress in its fourth season. Hagan finished fourth in the 2024 Funny Car championship standings, earning three wins. Tony Stewart finished ninth in the Top Fuel championship standings in his NHRA rookie season. He advanced to two final rounds and earned the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year title.
Tony Stewart Racing is celebrating 25 years of full-time competition in 2025. In November 2000, Stewart formed TSR, and since its inaugural season in 2001, TSR has earned 28 owner championships – 14 in USAC, nine in the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series, four in the All-Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets Series and one in the NHRA. Stewart announced the nitro operation in 2021, with 2022 marking the team’s first season in competition.
Direct Connection is the primary partner of Stewart and Hagan this weekend in Gainesville. With muscle car enthusiasts looking for “ready to run” parts, Direct Connection serves as the source for high-performance parts and technical expertise straight from the factory.
The Gatornationals will mark Stewart’s 21st career Top Fuel start, and his second Top Fuel start at Gainesville. For Hagan, the Gatornationals will be his 353rd career Funny Car start and his 17th at Gainesville.
Stewart is seeking his first win and No. 1 qualifier at the Gatornationals. In 2024, he ran a 4.453 ET at 267.80 mph in Round 1 of eliminations, where he lost to Justin Ashley’s 4.414 ET, 297.94 mph run. Despite losing in Round 1, Stewart’s reaction time (RT) of .021-seconds bested Ashley’s .031 RT.
Hagan starts the 2025 season with the longest active winning streak in the NHRA in any pro category. He’s won at least one event in each of the last 12 seasons. The next longest streak belongs to Steve Torrence, who’s won 10 straight years in Top Fuel.
Hagan has two wins at Gainesville, which came in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, his 3.910 ET at 330.96 mph defeated Blake Alexander’s 9.561 ET run. In 2023, Hagan ran a 3.926 ET at 329.34 to defeat J.R. Todd’s 4.141 ET, 239.95 mph run. Hagan has three No. 1 qualifiers at Gainesville, which came in 2010 (4.068 ET at 307.51 mph), 2011 (4.030 ET at 309.84 mph) and 2020 (3.975 ET at 321.35 mph).
Hagan and Stewart participated in a pre-season event, the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Florida. The invitation-only race featured standout drivers from the Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock categories. It also featured three Sportsman racing classes – Top Sportsman, Stock and Super Stock). It was held in collaboration with the Professional Racers Organization (PRO), Bradenton Motorsports Park and FloRacing. It also offered a great opportunity for teams to participate in multiple test sessions.
Fans can join Pruett and Stewart at Gatornationals Fan Fest on Wednesday, March 5. The event will take place at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida. Drivers will participate in an autograph session from 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET.
Hagan, Pruett and Stewart will participate in a Dodge autograph session on Friday from 1:45-2:15 p.m. ET. Pruett will participate in a second signing on Saturday from 11:00-11:30 a.m. ET. Both sessions will take place in the pits at the Dodge display.
Hagan and Stewart will participate in autograph signings at the Tony Stewart Store merchandise trailer. Stewart will be signing on Friday from 4:15-4:45 p.m. ET. Hagan will be signing on Saturday from 1:45-2:15 p.m. ET.
Hagan, Pruett and Stewart will be participating in a press conference on Friday from 11:15-11:45 a.m. ET in the media center.
Fans can join Hall of Fame drag racer Darrell Gwynn for the Gatornationals track walk to benefit the Darrell Gwynn Chapter of the Buoniconti Fund. In 1990, Gwynn had a racing accident that caused paralysis. Following his accident, he established the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, which provides support for people with paralysis and works to prevent spinal cord injuries through their Wheelchair Donation Program and Education & Prevention Program. The track walk takes place on Sunday at 9:15 a.m. ET and costs $20 per person to participate.
The Gatornationals will set the field for the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge of 2025. The semifinalists from Gainesville will rematch during qualifying on Saturday at the next event in Phoenix, with bonus money and points on the line.
Tony Stewart Interview –
2024 marked your rookie season in the Top Fuel dragster, where you finished ninth in the championship standings and earned the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year title. With one year under your belt, what excitement does that give you heading into 2025?
“It definitely takes some of the stress of being a rookie driver out of the equation. Last year, I had to learn a Top Fuel car and go up against the best in the class. The competition is tough, so having a year under my belt lets me go into Gainesville a little more relaxed than my rookie season.”
With the opportunity to test at Bradenton and Gainesville during the off-season, explain how important it’s been getting that track time.
“Right now, with the performance of our car, we need all the testing and track time that we can get. I’m not really sure what the cause of the car’s lack of performance is, but we are just going to have to keep working until we find it. Last year was definitely frustrating and Bradenton was frustrating as well. I’m just hoping that we get the needle moving in the right direction and I’ll get this car going down the racetrack again.”
Matt Hagan Interview –
You’re entering 2025 with a new crew chief duo in Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler. Tell us more about that and getting into your routine as the season gets started.
“Having a new crew chief is kind of exciting. I had almost 15 years with Dickie Venables. We ran a lot of races together and made a lot of memories. We won a few championships and accomplished a lot of great things. I’ve also spent 15 years with Knud (Mike Knudsen) and watched him move his way up from the bottom. I would love nothing more than to win a championship with him. Things are looking bright for the future. Hopefully I’ll still be racing for a while and have an opportunity to set that in stone. I told him the other day that we have a chance to start a legacy with what he’s doing and build on what I’ve accomplished so far in the sport. I’m excited to dig deep and work hard because I don’t want to let my guys down. We had a great pre-season test that was a week long. A lot of things could have gone wrong, but they didn’t. We rolled out of Bradenton, Florida with smiles on our faces and a lot of data to work off of. We have to get a routine down for the season because we have four guys in new positions. We have one new guy on the car, but the rest of the group is the same guys that have taken over new roles. We’ll have one more test session before Gainesville, which will help. I’m hungry for succuss. I’ve been up on the wheel. My lights are great and the car is running great. Mike, Phil Shuler (co-crew chief) and Alex Conaway (car chief) are all the real deal. I’m excited to get to Gainesville.”
2025 marks your 18th year with Dodge. How special has that partnership been over the years?
“18 years is incredible. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go in this sport, so it’s unreal I have been out here so long and had so much sustainability with such a great sponsor. I’m excited for what the future holds with Dodge. It’s great to have someone like Dodge out here supporting what we do. They have been so loyal to me and we are very loyal to them. My family has been a Dodge dealer for 50 years, so it makes a nice circle. We can race on Sunday and sell on Monday. I’m proud to have them as a sponsor and I hope to give them more championships in the future.”
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