If you’re a new crewmember and you walk through Matt Hagan’s hauler and feel a solid pat on your rear end, just smile and keep walking. Don’t get alarmed — it’s part of the new attitude Hagan’s team has adopted as they make their bid to unseat Austin Prock from the top of the NHRA Funny Car ranks. It’s what Hagan affectionately calls “the grab-ass approach.”
For the four-time world champion, this season has been as much about loosening up as it has been about winning races. The 54-time event winner has achieved just about everything a Funny Car driver can, yet he says his greatest satisfaction now comes from the relaxed atmosphere surrounding his Tony Stewart Racing crew.
“I’ve been able to accomplish everything I’ve ever set out to do here in the sport,” Hagan said. “This is 54 races, and we’ve had four championships and set a lot of world records. I’ve got a group of guys right now that it’s fun to come to work with. They truly show up with a smile on their face and a wrench in their hand, and we’re all grab-assing and having fun and slapping each other on the ass. It feels like you’re playing on a college football team. It’s fun to show up for work, man.”
That culture shift, Hagan says, starts at the top. Tony Stewart’s management style is calm and collaborative, giving the team space to breathe and bond. “Tony creates that environment where it’s not always about chopping heads off,” Hagan said. “It’s a great work environment, so we have the opportunity to have fun. You need to, because everybody can take this too seriously out here.”
Hagan has also loosened up away from the car. His race-day wardrobe has become a running joke in the pits — and a reminder not to take life too seriously. “Everybody’s like, man, that ain’t you. Why would you wear something so outlandish?” he said. “But, dude, you think that’s really what my closet looks like? That’s what I ordered off Amazon. I’m just having fun. Unless I’m in a pair of bibs and got cow crap on my boots, they’re like, ‘That’s not you.’ And I’m like, who cares? It’s fun.”
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For Hagan, that attitude shift came from hard-earned perspective. Drag racing’s relentless grind often comes at the expense of family time. He referenced his daughter’s birthday as a moment that reminded him of what matters. “It’s my little girl’s birthday today, 16, and I’m about to cry like a little girl,” he said. “You’re not there for some of those moments, and you need to have fun when you miss stuff like that. It’s tough to miss that stuff, so if I’m going to miss it, we’re going to have fun doing it.”
That emotional admission caught even Hagan off guard. “I didn’t think I’d get that choked up,” he said, laughing between tears. “We miss out on so many things in life that are very big milestones with our family and different things like that. So if you come out here and you’re so serious and throwing stuff, you just need to take it a little bit easier and enjoy the moment. We’re blessed to be here with a great group of guys and great sponsors, so you have to make the best out of it — and that’s what we’re doing.”
Hagan’s daughter Penny turned sixteen that day, a milestone he missed because of the race weekend. That small moment of vulnerability showed how a man known for his brute strength and intensity has found balance through gratitude.
Still, Hagan’s brand of fun doesn’t mean he’s lost his edge. The same competitive spirit that carried him to four championships continues to drive his pursuit of a fifth. The mission this season is clear — knock off Austin Prock, whose Cornwell Tools Chevrolet has dominated the headlines and points standings.
The reality is Prock’s Cornwell Tools Funny Car is even larger in stature than Hagan is physically. And for a 260-pound cattle farmer, that’s saying something. But Hagan understands what must be done, and he leans on the same mindset that’s guided him on the farm and at the track — make hay while the sun is out.
That farm-bred urgency comes from more than just pride — it’s rooted in the economics and expectations of the sport. “We’ve had a couple this year where we didn’t capitalize when Austin went out early,” Hagan said. “The guys beat themselves up at the trailer, saying, ‘That should’ve been us in the final.’ Those are the rounds that haunt you because you know what’s at stake.”
For Hagan, every pass down the strip carries more than just points — it carries pressure. “It costs 250 grand to run one of these cars out here,” he said. “To put a sponsor on the side of the race car, that’s someone’s home. Think about that when you put it in perspective. If that doesn’t put pressure on you, nothing will.”
He says that weight never leaves his mind when he straps in. “When I pull down tight and put my mouthpiece in, I think about the people spending crazy money to be here and believing in what we’re doing,” Hagan said. “That’s what drives me — not disappointing people.”
It’s that mix of grit and gratitude — the farmer’s ethic meeting the racer’s fire — that keeps Hagan swinging hard at Prock and anyone else standing between him and another world title. “You get up on the wheel, you chew on your mouthpiece, and you want every round,” he said. “That’s what drives me, man. It’s just not disappointing people.”
That mentality has defined his season. Every round won or lost carries both celebration and reflection. “We’ve got a lot of one-off sponsors who only have one shot at it,” Hagan said. “So even during the regular season, the pressure’s there. You don’t want to waste those opportunities. You get in there, dig deep, and fight for every inch.”
While Prock has been the headline story of 2025, Hagan’s team has been quietly clawing back into contention with strong midseason performances and renewed morale. Crew camaraderie, he says, has made the difference. “You can tell when guys want to be there,” he said. “You can tell when they enjoy what they do. That’s when you start winning rounds.”
The “grab-ass approach,” as crude as it sounds, has come to symbolize something larger — a culture of trust, laughter, and freedom that fuels better performance. “It’s locker room banter stuff,” Hagan said. “We’re having fun and building each other up. It’s like a bunch of brothers going to battle.”
And if you happen to feel that good-natured slap as you pass through his hauler, don’t take it personally. It’s just Matt Hagan’s way of saying — we’re having fun again.
