Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan lead Tony Stewart Racing into the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway, the seventh Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series round.

Pruett targets another points haul after a season of metronomic progress. She has reached at least the second round everywhere, qualified in the top half regularly, and claimed a runner-up in Arizona.

The Rinnai-backed driver sits third in Top Fuel, 165 points off the lead and 45 clear of Tony Stewart in fourth. Her camp believes recent setup work suits coastal conditions at Maryland.

Hagan arrives nine points off the Funny Car summit after a semifinal last time out and a P9 qualifying run at the Route 66 Nationals near Chicago.

The four-time champion chases his first No. 1 qualifier of 2026 to continue a 14-season streak of topping at least one ladder. He flags lane choice and track prep as decisive factors.

Both drivers enter the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during Saturday qualifying. The format offers bonus points and prize money, plus immediate rematches of recent semifinal defeats.

Track familiarity is limited across the field, but Pruett is comfortable with the venue. She applauds NHRA’s scaling efforts at smaller facilities, expecting a tight operational window.

Four qualifying sessions run across Friday and Saturday, with eliminations on Sunday morning. Television coverage airs on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday, then FOX at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

The new Maryland stop expands NHRA’s reach and introduces a different performance profile. Teams expect coastal weather, a fresh surface, and shorter turnaround windows to shape the weekend.

The venue’s debut follows recent build-up around the JEGS-backed Maryland event, creating a platform for established contenders to exploit new data and procedures.

Rival storylines add depth. Former champion Antron Brown and Funny Car contender Alexis DeJoria could influence qualifying paths and race-day pairings.

For Pruett, incremental gains and execution remain the theme. For Hagan, outright pace and early-round control offer a route to the Funny Car points lead.

The Potomac Nationals should compress margins, reward precision, and potentially reset early-season momentum across both nitro categories.

Visual Summary

Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.