Tony Stewart Racing Celebrates Dodge Direct Connection 50th Anniversary With Special NHRA U.S. Nationals Livery for Top Fuel, Funny Car Machines

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., August 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

• 50th anniversary of legendary Dodge Direct Connection performance parts brand will be celebrated with special liveries for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Top Fuel and Funny Car machines at 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 28 – Sept. 2 in Indianapolis
• Established in 1974 and reintroduced in 2022, Direct Connection brand has been a leader in the performance-racing industry for decades
• Newly introduced Direct Connection products, available at DCPerformance.com, include the HurriCrate series of crate engines and the Dodge Charger Junior Roadster body
• TSR brings a throwback Direct Connection red, white and blue design on Tony Stewart's Top Fuel Dodge//SRT dragster and Matt Hagan's Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car 
• Stewart, the motorsports legend in NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC competition, makes his first Top Fuel appearance at the famed "Big Go" drag race at Indianapolis this week
• Stewart, driving the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT car, ranks seventh in Top Fuel points entering the U.S. Nationals after a runner-up finish at the Sonoma Nationals last month
• Hagan, the reigning NHRA Mission Drag Racing Funny Car champion, is a three-time winner at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and a five-time No. 1 qualifier in a Dodge//SRT Funny Car
• A four-time NHRA world champion, Hagan comes to the 70th U.S. Nationals third in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings with wins at Charlotte and Chicago in 2024
• Hagan is 51-time NHRA Funny Car national event winner, ranking fourth all-time in NHRA Funny Car wins
• Ida Zetterström, the FIA Top Fuel World Champion from Sweden, makes her NHRA U.S. Nationals debut in the JCM/Dodge dragster after a semifinal finish in Brainerd, Minnesota
• Follow Dodge in NHRA action at DodgeGarage.com

The 50th anniversary of the birth of Direct Connection, the legendary Dodge performance parts brand, will be celebrated at the historic 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 28 – Sept. 2, when Tony Stewart Racing's (TSR) Top Fuel and Funny Car entries will display a special red, white and blue livery at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The special Direct Connection 50th graphics were revealed earlier today by Dodge driver Stewart during a live appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show."

At the most famous drag race of the year, known as the "Big Go," the TSR nitro team brings a unique "throwback" design to celebrate the Direct Connection 50th anniversary with motorsports legend 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.

The Direct Connection performance parts brand was established in 1974 and reintroduced in 2022 with a variety of products available at DCPerformance.com, including the new HurriCrate series of crate engines and the Dodge Charger Junior Roadster body. Direct Connection performance parts have taken racers to the winner's circle at drag strips for decades, including all the way to the 2023 NHRA World Funny Car championship for TSR driver Hagan.

"Dodge couldn't ask for better brand 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. "It's a testament that 50 years after the introduction of Direct Connection, the Dodge performance parts brand still stands strong as the go-to source for go-fast parts on both the street and strip."

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 prepares to start a family, makes his professional debut at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, as the Indiana driver ranks seventh in the current NHRA Mission Top Fuel point standings. The racer known as Smoke returns to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park after many national victories on the track's paved oval.

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. He also took top honors at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park drag strip last year in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, a non-professional class, when he won the North Central Division event in May.

"I haven't even been able to see the new paint scheme for the U.S. Nationals yet and that's mainly because they (the team) know that I have a history of leaking out information on new paint schemes before it's time to get released," said Stewart prior to the unveiling. "I'm very excited to have two really cool paint schemes on both my car and Matt's car. We're both going to be proud to represent Dodge and the Direct Connection 50th anniversary, so I think we're both going to be really excited to have a new cool paint scheme to support. 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. The focus is just going to be having a great weekend and winning that Wally trophy."

Hagan, a winner of 51 NHRA national events in his career, 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. In addition to his Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park winning record, Hagan also holds the current Funny Car track record with a quickest elapsed time of 3.799 seconds and the fastest speed at 338.77 mph, both set in 2017 in a Dodge//SRT machine.

"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.' It's really cool to be able to commemorate Direct Connection's 50th anniversary. Their whole group is great. We're really excited to be able to fly a new scheme for them. We always have a great time doing it and they make it fun for us. Hopefully the new scheme is fast. Hopefully, we can get them the win with the new colors."

Stewart and Hagan in their new 50th anniversary Direct Connection liveries will be joined by Ida Zetterström, the FIA Top Fuel World Champion from Sweden. Zetterström will make her NHRA U.S. Nationals debut in the JCM/Dodge dragster after a semifinal finish in the most recent NHRA event in Brainerd, Minnesota. 

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.

Direct Connection
The Direct Connection portfolio, available online and through the Dodge Power Brokers dealer network, includes modern performance, crate engine, race and vintage muscle high-performance products for Dodge performance vehicles, offering factory street, strip and track performance parts developed by SRT engineers and backed by a Mopar warranty for peace of mind.

Performance enthusiasts and racers can access the Direct Connection hotline at (800) 998-1110 for technical and race support. More information on Direct Connection and Dodge Power Brokers is available at DCPerformance.com. 

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT
For 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news, including daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis (NYSE: STLA).

Mopar
Mopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at www.blog.mopar.com. 

Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Mopar brand: www.mopar.com
Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/mopar
Instagram: @DodgeMoparMotorsports, @DodgeOfficial and @OfficialMopar
Twitter: @Dodge, @OfficialMopar and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis