NHRA Winternationals Recap of Exciting Races

Four-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan etched his name into NHRA history on Sunday, winning the 1,000th Funny Car race in the series’ history while doubling up with team owner Tony Stewart in Top Fuel. Greg Anderson, meanwhile, continued his mastery at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip with yet another Pro Stock triumph. The victories capped a memorable third round of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Matt Hagan 2026 NHRA Winternationals at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Image supplied by the NHRA

Hagan delivered a thrilling final-round performance, defeating three-time world champion Ron Capps in a side-by-side battle to claim the milestone win. He clocked a 3.876-second pass at 330.39 mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat, holding off Capps’ 3.893 at 334.32 mph.

The victory marked Hagan’s first of the season and 56th of his career. He had already shown his weekend dominance by defeating Spencer Hyde, Jason Rupert, and J.R. Todd en route to the final, and by winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday.

“This one will certainly mean a great deal,” Hagan said afterward. “I was telling Tony that sometimes you just wake up and you know today’s going to be good, and it was great. To win with the boss man to double up, and, you know, Leah [Pruett] was No. 1 qualifier, and winning the 1,000th Funny Car and the [Mission] #2Fast2Tasty yesterday …. the only thing we didn’t leave with was the change under the bleachers.”

Hagan added that racing Capps felt like old times: “Racing Capps, man, it was like back in the day throwing it down, because we always used to throw down, so it just kind of felt natural. It’s a magical place because champions are crowned here.”

Capps reached his second straight final and the 159th of his career with earlier wins over Dylan Winefsky, Alexis DeJoria, and Jordan Vandergriff. The two drivers now sit tied for the points lead after three races.

In Top Fuel, racing legend Tony Stewart delivered Elite Motorsports its first victory in the category. Stewart powered to a weekend-best 3.683 at 332.51 mph in his R&L Carriers dragster to defeat Justin Ashley in the final round. It was Stewart’s first career win at Pomona and his third overall in NHRA competition.

Tony Stewart wins Top Fuel at the 2026 NHRA Winternationals at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Image supplied by the NHRA

Stewart advanced through tough competition, taking out Will Smith, Gainesville winner Josh Hart, and Shawn Langdon before facing Ashley, who had posted three straight .025 reaction times leading into the final.

“I’ve been [in NHRA] for five years now and following Leah around and being a part of it, but it doesn’t take long to realize how special Pomona is in drag racing,” Stewart said. “To be able to come here, and especially on an anniversary for NHRA, you couldn’t ask for a better scenario for me. … For Matt to win the 1,000th Funny Car win here, and to be here on NHRA’s 75th anniversary, and win here at the Winternationals, that is huge.”

Ashley reached his first final of the season (and 33rd of his career) with wins over Maddi Gordon, No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett, and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta. Kalitta left Pomona as the current points leader.

In Pro Stock, six-time world champion Greg Anderson continued his remarkable reign at Pomona, securing a record-tying 17th victory at the historic track. Anderson held off KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the final with a 6.505-second run at 209.88 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.

Gary Anderson won in Pro Stock at the 2026 NHRA Winternationals at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Image supplied by the NHRA

It was Anderson’s 113th career win. He qualified No. 1 and ran the quickest pass in every round of eliminations, dipping into the 6.40s early before defeating Kenny Delco, Matt Latino, and Greg Stanfield. The final-round matchup marked the third straight Pomona final between Anderson and Glenn, with Anderson remaining undefeated in those battles.

“I came to the racetrack today with a lot of confidence,” Anderson said. “I felt good. I knew I was going to have a great hot rod. It’s been great all weekend. … When you race Dallas, you’ve got to be perfect and I really didn’t make any big errors today, and the car was flawless.”

Glenn, who stays atop the Pro Stock points standings, advanced to his second consecutive final (and 23rd of his career) with victories over Gainesville winner Matt Hartford, Eric Latino, and teammate Dave Connolly.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads next to zMAX Dragway in Charlotte for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 24-26.

Note:

The NHRA halted racing late Saturday at the Lucas Oil Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in the aftermath of Top Alcohol Dragster driver James Stevens’ vicious accident during Round 1 of eliminations.

According to his daughter Jess Hampton via a late Saturday Facebook post, Stevens, of Gothenburg, Nebraska, is scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday for a variety of injuries.

“My dad James is pretty banged up. Sounds like he’s got a broken forearm, broken left wrist, broke his C-7 [vertebra], bruised lung, rib fractures, and possible broken back (again). If you didn’t know, he wrecked at this very same track in 2019. He is in a lot of pain, so please pray for healing and comfort. He will have surgery tomorrow.”

The NHRA issued a statement about 40 minutes later Saturday night that said, “Stevens exited the car and was alert and was examined onsite by NHRA Chief Medical Officer Dr. [Phil] Surface before being transported to a local medical facility.”