Tony Stewart Racing pulled the curtain back on its 2026 season plans as drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan offered a first look at new Dodge race car graphics ahead of the NHRA season opener. The reveal comes with less than a month remaining before engines fire at the NHRA Gatornationals, setting the tone for a campaign shaped by returns, continuity, and unfinished business.
The updated Dodge livery marks more than a cosmetic change for the Brownsburg-based organization. It signals a reset for a team entering 2026 with championship expectations in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
Pruett’s return carries the heaviest storyline, bringing one of Top Fuel’s most accomplished drivers back to full-time competition after a two-year hiatus. The 12-time Top Fuel event winner stepped away following the 2023 season to welcome her son Dominic with husband and team owner Tony Stewart.
That absence came immediately after Pruett narrowly missed the 2023 Top Fuel championship, a season in which she remained a factor deep into the title fight. Her return pairs a familiar driver with an all-new TSR Dodge Top Fuel Dragster and a fresh visual identity.
“I’m very excited to get back in the car for the 2026 season,” Pruett said. “Last year, I wanted to make sure I still had a passion to race after sitting out two years. After giving birth to Dominic and then being a mom for a year, I really wasn’t sure if I had the competitive level or should I sit out another year.”
Pruett said limited testing sessions provided clarity and reaffirmed her competitive drive. She described those outings as the first extended break from competition she has taken since starting in Junior Dragsters at age 8.
“So, we had a handful of tests,” Pruett said. “It was really the first time I was out of a race car since I began Junior Dragsters at age 8. But I’m ready to go.”
Her return reshapes TSR’s Top Fuel structure following two seasons in which Stewart filled the seat. Stewart replaced Pruett during the 2024 and 2025 seasons and delivered immediate results.
Stewart won two Top Fuel events during that stretch and captured the 2025 Top Fuel regular-season points championship. His presence kept TSR competitive while preserving continuity within the team’s technical program.
The 2026 season brings another shift, with Stewart continuing to compete in Top Fuel while no longer driving the primary TSR Dodge entry. Stewart is slated to race in Top Fuel for Elite Motorsports while maintaining ownership and oversight of TSR.
That transition reflects Stewart’s expanding footprint across motorsports rather than a retreat from drag racing. His schedule for 2026 also includes a return to NASCAR competition.
Stewart is set to race at Daytona in partnership with Ram Truck and Kaulig Racing as part of Ram’s return to NASCAR. He will become the first competitor in Ram’s Free Agent program within the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
While Stewart balances multiple disciplines, TSR’s Funny Car operation remains anchored by one of the category’s most consistent performers. Hagan enters his 19th season behind the wheel of a Dodge Funny Car with the same team he has driven for throughout his NHRA career.
Hagan owns 55 career NHRA victories, all earned in Dodge machinery. His longevity and loyalty have made him one of the defining drivers of the modern Funny Car era.
The Virginia native remains firmly in championship form after finishing second in the 2025 Funny Car standings. He collected three victories last season, winning at Seattle, St. Louis, and Las Vegas.
Those results extended Hagan’s record as a four-time Funny Car world champion and kept him within reach of a fifth title. At age 42, he continues to serve as the competitive backbone of TSR’s nitro program.
“I have driven a Dodge Funny Car for my entire NHRA career, and I want to put the Dodge machine in the winner’s circle and take another championship for them and all of our TSR sponsors,” Hagan said. “Without them we couldn’t do what we love to do, and that is win races and championships.”
Hagan said the team’s preparation has focused on being competitive immediately rather than building momentum later in the season. That urgency reflects the tightening margins in Funny Car, where early-season performance often dictates playoff positioning.
“I know we’ll be ready to go right out of the box at Gainesville,” Hagan said.
The shared unveiling of the new Dodge graphics underscores TSR’s emphasis on continuity across both nitro categories. While the designs introduce a new look, the underlying message centers on stability and experience.
For Pruett, the new livery represents a re-entry point rather than a reset of identity. Her career resume already places her among the most successful women in Top Fuel history.
She returns to a class that has continued to evolve during her absence, with tighter competition and increased parity. The challenge, she said, is one she welcomes.
Hagan faces a different pressure, balancing consistency with the pursuit of another championship in a class defined by narrow margins. His runner-up finish in 2025 reinforced both his competitiveness and the difficulty of closing out a title.
Together, the two drivers give TSR a veteran pairing capable of contending immediately. Their combined experience spans more than three decades of NHRA competition and more than 65 national event victories.
The season-opening Gatornationals will serve as the first real measure of that potential. With new graphics, a returning Top Fuel contender, and a proven Funny Car champion, TSR arrives in Gainesville positioned as a central player in the 2026 title picture.
The team’s offseason reveal offered only a glimpse, but the expectations are clear. For TSR, the visual debut is merely the prelude to a season defined by performance rather than presentation.
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