Story By: TOM BLATTLER / DODGE MOTORSPORTS – AUBURN HILLS, MI – 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.