To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Direct Connection, Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Top Fuel and Funny Car entries displayed a special red, white and blue livery at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Aug. 28–Sept. 2 at the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals.
The TSR nitro team brought a unique “throwback” design to celebrate the Direct Connection 50th anniversary with Tony Stewart in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge/SRT Top Fuel dragster and four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge/SRT Hellcat Funny Car.
“Dodge couldn’t ask for better ambassadors than racing legend Tony Stewart and four-time NHRA world champion Matt Hagan carrying throwback Direct Connection 50th colors at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, the most prestigious race on the NHRA schedule,” said Matt McAlear, Dodge brand CEO – Stellantis.
In addition to celebrating its 50th anniversary, Direct Connection also has rolled out a customer appreciation incentive program that delivers up to $300 toward the purchase of select Direct Connection crate engines or up to $200 toward the purchase of Direct Connection crate long blocks through Nov. 8, 2024.
Stewart, who replaced his wife Leah Pruett in the team’s Top Fuel dragster this year as the pair prepare to start a family, made his professional debut at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The Indiana driver ranks seventh in the current NHRA Mission Top Fuel point standings.
Stewart, the former series champion in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC competition, has captured feature wins at the 5/8-mile oval adjacent to the world’s most famous drag strip, earning victories in USAC Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget events during his career.
“I haven’t been able to see the new paint scheme for the U.S. Nationals yet and that’s mainly because the team knows that I have a history of leaking out information on new paint schemes before it’s time to get released,” said Stewart.
“We’re both going to be proud to represent Dodge and the Direct Connection 50th anniversary. The U.S. Nationals is the biggest race of the year for drag racing and it’s a home race for us personally. I put a lot of pressure on us to win for Dodge and all of our sponsors.”
Hagan, a winner of 51 NHRA national events, is no stranger to the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park victory lane with three victories and five No. 1 qualifying positions in a Dodge/SRT Funny Car. The Virginia driver has already scored two wins in 2024 with his TSR Direct Connection Dodge/SRT Hellcat, at the Charlotte and Chicago NHRA stops.
“Being able to fly the Dodge banner for almost 15 years and win four championships with them is really special,” said Hagan. “All of my 51 career wins have been with Dodge. Hopefully people can look back down the road and say, ‘Wow, they made history.’ Hopefully the new scheme is fast and we can get them the win with the new colors.”
Television coverage for the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 1, with the qualifying show at 1 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1. Final eliminations will be broadcast on Monday, Sept. 2, with a noon EDT viewing on Fox Sports 1 and 2 p.m. EDT telecast on the FOX Network.
