Racers Prepare for 69th Annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals

Among the famous drag races of the world, few have the reputation of the “Big Go,” the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. Often referred to as the “Granddaddy” of the sport, it’s the biggest, longest running, richest and most prestigious event, dating back to 1955 and having featured some of the biggest names in drag racing. This year will mark the 69th annual U.S. Nationals, which will be taking place from August 30th to September 4th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

“You look at the NHRA national event schedule before each season and mark the most important races to win,” said Matt Hagan, three-time NHRA Camping World Funny Car champion. “And 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.”

Hagan will be entering the race this year as a favored competitor. He achieved four other NHRA national event wins already this year in his TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat, and won the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver. With so many wins under his belt, Hagan is eager to add to his total.

“We have led the Funny Car points for most of the season,” Hagan said. “But now we are 21 points from first and we definitely want to have the top spot after Indy. The points are readjusted for the final six races, and I’d like to be back in the lead entering the Countdown. I think Dickie (Venables, crew chief) and our guys are ready for the challenge at Indy with the five qualifying runs, the All-Star Callout race and Monday’s finals. We slipped a bit at Brainerd, but we are prepared to win the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals.”

Hagan’s TSR teammate, Leah Pruett, will be seeking her first U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title in the TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection dragster. After an impressive win at this year’s Summit Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio and an exceptional performance at Brainerd, she’s prepared to make a splash at the U.S. Nationals.

“I feel very confident coming into the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals with our TSR Dodge//SRT Direct Connection team,” said Pruett. “We 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.”

You can catch the The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals on Fox Sports 1. If you’re interested in keeping up on all of the latest Dodge news, make sure you keep reading our blog here!