{"id":72707,"date":"2023-08-31T17:17:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T21:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=72707"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:19:26","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:19:26","slug":"staged-up-and-ready-to-roll-at-nhras-big-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/racing\/2023\/08\/staged-up-and-ready-to-roll-at-nhras-big-go.html","title":{"rendered":"Staged Up And Ready To Roll At NHRA’s Big Go!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been compared to the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and even the Kentucky Derby, but in the world of drag racing, the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals<\/a> is the biggest, longest and most historic race that every competitor wants to win. Referred to by many in the sport as the “Big Go”, the NHRA U.S. Nationals<\/a> is the most prestigious drag race on the planet. Held every Labor Day Weekend, the NHRA U.S Nationals is steeped in drag racing tradition. From the 14,000-horsepower ground-pounding Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars to the production-based Stock Eliminator entries, every racer, Pro or Sportsman, that rolls into the vast pits of Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP)<\/a> wants to win that U.S. Nationals \u2018Wally\u2019 Trophy. With over 900 teams coming through the IRP gates, they\u2019ll be competing for a combined potential payout of more than $2 million in cash and posted contingency awards. It will be all hands on deck for the hardworking NHRA staff onsite to make sure they get this car pitted, teched, staged and ready to blast down the strip. It\u2019s a daunting task, but the NHRA knows what it takes to wrangle up these racers competing in numerous categories and get ready for battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Funny Car ace Matt Hagan, who\u2019s made numerous trips to the winner\u2019s circle, there\u2019s only one Indy. \u201cYou look at the NHRA national event schedule before each season and mark the most important races to win,\u201d said Matt Hagan, three-time NHRA Camping World Funny Car champion. \u201cAnd you always list Indy as No. 1. Of course, racing for Dodge, Direct Connection and Tony Stewart Racing, the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals should be at the top of our list. Winning Indy is our ultimate NHRA victory.\u201d Hagan, the 40-year-old driver from Christiansburg, Virginia, will roll into the U.S. Nationals as one of the leading contenders in the Funny Car class. With a season that already has four NHRA national event wins under his belt driving his TSR Direct Connection Dodge\/\/SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Hellcat Charger, Hagan will be one tough contender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe have led the Funny Car points for most of the\nseason,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cBut now we are 21 points from first and we definitely\nwant to have the top spot after Indy. The points are readjusted for the final\nsix races, and I\u2019d like to be back in the lead entering the Countdown. I think\nDickie (Venables, crew chief) and our guys are ready for the challenge at Indy\nwith the five qualifying runs, the All-Star Callout race, and Monday\u2019s finals.\nWe slipped a bit at Brainerd, but we are prepared to win the Dodge Power\nBrokers U.S. Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hagan, the U.S. Nationals record holder at 3.799 seconds and 338.77 mph, will first take to the strip when the action gets underway on Friday, Sept. 1. The Pep Boys All-Star Funny Car Callout is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hagan\u2019s teammate is also getting ready for NHRA\u2019s “Big Go”. Leah Pruett, who currently is sitting fifth in the NHRA Camping World Top Fuel points standings, is looking to step up her game and bag her first U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title. Her TSR Dodge\/\/SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster will blast into Indy ready to rock after a strong runner-up finish during the NHRA performance at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, two weeks ago and winning early this summer at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio. \u201cI feel very confident coming into the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals with our TSR Dodge\/\/SRT Direct Connection team,\u201d said Pruett. \u201cWe showed that the Direct Connection dragster can run with the best after our winning hits (runs) at Brainerd. We had a tough road to get to the final round against three former World Champions and the current points leader. We knew our work was cut out for us. Our focus is on propelling this momentum built from being extremely thorough and diligent, from the parts to the tune-up, and digging even deeper into where we can improve. Indy is the biggest race of the year for a driver and team. And you need everything working well to get that Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals Wally. I know that is our goal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the Sportsman Classes that include the Dodge HEMI\u00ae<\/sup>\nChallenge, Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> competitors will be going all out to capture this highly\nsought-after eliminator. Steve Comella, who\u2019s won the last two Dodge HEMI\nChallenge events<\/a>, is looking for a threepeat this year and his 1968\nSuper Stock HEMI Barracuda is ready to take on the rest of the field. \u201cWe\u2019ve\ndone nothing different to the car this year. We\u2019re running the same engine and\ntrans and have finetuned our combination,\u201d said second-generation HEMI racer\nSteve Comella. Since there\u2019ll be 15 or so other competitors trying to knock him\noff his perch and preventing him from winning another Dodge HEMI Shootout,\nyou\u2019d think there\u2019d be more pressure on Comella. But he\u2019s a seasoned racer and\ndoesn\u2019t get rattled by all the gossip in the SS\/AH call. \u201cI\u2019m totally unplugged\nfrom the other competitors in this class and don\u2019t worry about the drama. I\u2019m\nnot on social media and just stay focused on my race program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you can\u2019t make it to Indy for Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, don\u2019t worry. You can catch all the action from the comfort of your living room as it\u2019ll be televised on FOX Sports 1 with qualifying round 1 on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and qualifying round 2 on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m. EDT. The Funny Car All-Star Callout will be shown on FOX Network on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 4:00 p.m. EDT and the Finals on Monday starting at 2:00 p.m. on FOX. <\/p>\n\n\n\n