Defending Top Fuel Event Champion Pruett, 2021 Funny Car Winner Hagan Return to the 'Mountain' in Final Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals

July 10, 2023 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan list the legendary Bandimere Speedway as one of their favorite drag-racing venues on the 22-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, and both racers have fond memories on the “Mountain.”

Pruett, the defending Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals Top Fuel champion, and Hagan, the three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion, feel sentimental as they head to the Denver area for the final edition of the NHRA national event after 43 years of competition and 35 with Dodge and Mopar partnership.

Now in its 65th year as a drag-racing facility, the Bandimere family announced that 2023 will be the final season for the track’s straight-line activities. A Stellantis brand has sponsored the Mile-High Nationals since 1989, with the 2023 edition marking 35 years of partnership with the NHRA and the Bandimere family. Dodge — America’s performance brand — and the Mopar brand have long histories at the famed track nestled in the Rocky Mountains.

Pruett and Hagan want nothing more than to add to that history by putting their Dodge Direct Connection machines in the final Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals winner’s circle.

“Bandimere Speedway is my favorite track on the NHRA circuit,” said Pruett, recent Top Fuel winner at the NHRA Summit Nationals last month with her TSR Dodge Direct Connection dragster. “It’s on the mountain, it’s a mile high and I have so many incredible memories there, including winning my very first NHRA Wally trophy at 8 years old. Then I chased another Wally for decades at Bandimere before winning my first Top Fuel race in 2018, and again last year. That mountain is special to me. The vibe of the fans and the Dodge enthusiasm is so great because of the Mopar, Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection relationship for 35 years with the Mile-High Nationals and Bandimere Speedway. I’d love to win there again this year.”

Hagan, the 2021 Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals Funny Car champion, admits it took awhile to reach Bandimere Speedway victory lane, but he’ll be ready for this year’s final NHRA national race this weekend, July 14-16.

“One of my favorite places to race is Bandimere Speedway,” said Hagan, a three-time 2023 NHRA winner in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat. “I don’t really like the altitude and I have been on fire and blown up there. It was tough to win that first Mile-High Nationals Wally trophy. But I love the scenery and the atmosphere at that track with the fans. Everybody enjoys themselves at the event and the stands are packed. When I do a burnout, I can see the people so deep along the fences, and they’re excited. It’s such a cool event with the Dodge and Mopar involvement. I love meeting the fans there. We’ll be set to run strong I can tell you that much. It’s a blast.”

All racers at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals will join Pruett and Hagan in remembering the 43 years of NHRA event action on the "Mountain" and in seeking the final Bandimere Speedway victory.

“I know the drivers at Bandimere Speedway will be a little sad like myself,” said Pruett. “My first Wally trophies came in Junior Dragsters, and we won as a team. Then we captured the team title with an all-girl team when I was a teenager on the ‘Mountain.’ I even came to the track as a crew member in hopes of getting a Top Fuel for the NHRA national circuit in the future. And my meeting for the Top Fuel ride came at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. Then winning twice there in Top Fuel was a thrill. I have so many memories at that track as do many racers.”

With the 65th year of Bandimere Speedway, the Bandimere family, with some four generations having been involved at the racing facility, will be saluted this weekend for its innovation to the sport and supporting drag racing in the Colorado area dating back to 1958 when John Bandimere Sr. constructed the track.

“We have to thank the Bandimere family for giving us one of the most outstanding drag-racing facilities in the world,” said Hagan. “Winning this last NHRA national event at their track would be one to remember throughout your career. I know the bossman Tony (Stewart), Dickie (Venables, Hagan’s crew chief) and our TSR Dodge Direct Connection crew want to win on the ‘Mountain’ very badly this time. And I want to take home that last Bandimere Wally too.” 

The nitro-burning cars – Top Fuel and Funny Car – get underway at this week’s 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on Friday, July 14, with two nitro qualifying rounds set for 6:30 p.m. EDT and 10 p.m. EDT. Saturday’s nitro qualification rounds are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EDT and 9 p.m. EDT. Final eliminations on Sunday, July 16 will get underway at 1 p.m. EDT, with FOX network coverage scheduled to air from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT.

Dodge Display on Manufacturers’ Midway
The Dodge brand will feature a fun-filled display area on Manufacturers’ Midway at Bandimere Speedway, highlighted by the brand’s new 1,025-horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, the quickest, most powerful muscle car in the world. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the Dodge brand’s seventh and final “Last Call” special-edition model, commemorating the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI®-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. Six special-edition “Last Call” vehicles were previously introduced, leading up to the reveal of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170.

With its 1,025-horsepower (at 6,500 rpm), 945 lb.-ft. (at 4,200 rpm) production HEMI engine, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reaches 60 mph in a blazing 1.66 seconds and features the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs. The Demon 170 can also reach 900 horsepower and 810 lb.-ft. of torque on E10 fuel.

The Dodge brand display at Bandimere will also feature Dodge NHRA driver autograph sessions on both Friday and Saturday, as well as Dodge display vehicles, Funny Car and Dodge drag race simulators, Direct Connection parts displays and much more.
 
@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 Camping World 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 more than 100 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.

In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). 

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:

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