The NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, is the fifth event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ 22-race calendar in 2022. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) brings its two fulltime entries – one in Top Fuel for nine-time event winner Leah Pruett and one in Funny Car for three-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan. Hagan’s runner-up finish in the series’ prior event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway put him atop the Funny Car point standings in just his fourth start with TSR.
● Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection return to Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster and Hagan’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car this weekend in Houston. The Dodge Power Brokers program serves as the exclusive source for Direct Connection, Dodge’s factory-backed performance parts program, which is equipped with staff trained to deliver a performance-focused customer service experience.
● The SpringNationals will mark Pruett’s 176th career Top Fuel start and her ninth at Houston. For Hagan, the SpringNationals will be his 298th career Funny Car start and his 14th at Houston.
● Pruett is looking for her second victory at the SpringNationals. Her first win came in 2017 when Pruett’s run of 3.781 ET at 321.96 mph defeated Steve Torrence (3.787 at 322.11 mph). She has one No. 1 qualifier at Houston, which came in 2018 with a run of 3.680 ET at 326.00 mph and set a new track record.
● Hagan has one career SpringNationals win, which came in 2010. It marked his first career win and it came in his 31st start. His run of 4.390 ET at 247.57 mph defeated Jeff Arend (4.714 ET at 231.20 mph). Hagan has one additional final round appearance at Houston – 2019 when he was defeated by Robert Hight. Hagan is seeking his first No. 1 qualifier at Houston.
● The SpringNationals will be a homecoming for Hagan’s crew chief, Dickie Venables. Venables is a Houston native who grew up in Space City and started racing there with his dad. Hagan will run a special decal to honor Dickie’s father, Richard “Dick” Venables, who passed away on Dec. 29, 2021. In 1960, Dick went to work as an automotive technician for Taylor Exploration. In 1962, he purchased the shop and started Southwest Brake & Wheel Alignment Service. He retired in 2006 after 44 years in business. He had a passion for drag racing, and although it was just a hobby that he and his friends enjoyed, he was a pioneer in the sport. He paved the way for his son Dickie to make a career in the NHRA for the last 40 years. After Dick passed away, his family suggested The Tony Stewart Foundation for those who wished to make a donation in Dick’s name. The mission of the Tony Stewart Foundation is to provide grant funding to well-qualified organizations serving children who are critically ill or physically disabled; animals at-risk or endangered; and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing.
● DYK? The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will make its 35th and final appearance at Houston Raceway Park when the final pass is made on Sunday of the SpringNationals. Known for its sea-level location along Trinity Bay that creates a race-perfect, oxygen-rich environment, Houston Raceway Park hosted its first national event in 1988. And while the track has seen plenty of straight-line action in the years since, it will succumb to the expansion of Katoen Natie, the Antwerp, Belgium-based international logistics service provider and port operator. The company already has 5 million square-feet of warehouse space adjacent to the facility, but the company is expanding its footprint for receiving, storing and distributing petrochemicals and consumer goods, as well as housing its process engineering and other business units, and that expansion comes at the expense of Houston Raceway Park.