So close, yet so far! Tony Stewart was on the brink of winning his maiden NHRA Top Fuel event at Sonoma Raceway, but he had to settle for a runner-up finish. Having cleared the first two rounds and semi-finals, Tony Stewart Racing could’ve brought its first win of the 2024 season, but three-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown, currently driving the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster for AB Motorsports, foiled his plans for a memorable victory.

Although this defeat is a big blow for the entire TSR team, Smoke would be disappointed in himself for not living up to his expectations. Especially knowing that his wife trusted him to lead the charge of this team as Leah Pruett decided to step down from her duties to start a family with the star driver.

Smoke is a special specimen when it comes to competitive racing. Having aced the premier division of racing in open-wheel settings at IndyCar and stock-car racing in NASCAR, he finally landed in a gas-guzzling Top Fuel dragster at the start of the 2024 season. Replacing Pruett, was indeed a big challenge for him, as she had her career-best 3rd place finish in 2023.

Despite initial struggles, today’s event at Sonoma Raceway was a perfect opportunity for Stewart to register the team’s first win of the season. But despite weaving his way through the initial rounds, he was well aware of the daunting task that awaited him. Tony Stewart said, “We’ve had to take a couple steps backwards in order to move forward, but all the guys have their heads up. This is a great start to the day, but we have a long way to go. I’m proud of these guys.”

In the final round at Sonoma Nationals, Tony Stewart was up against three-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown. Despite having a great launch off the line (.071) in comparison to Brown’s (.078) Smoke wasn’t able to cross the finish line in time. With Doug Kalitta out of contention, Antron Brown was able to close the gap in the point standings with this victory, picking up his third win of the 2024 season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

Tony Stewart got off to a good start with a slight advantage on the starting line, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Antron Brown. Brown quickly tracked him down, clocking in at 3.746 seconds and 329.67 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools/Toyota dragster. This victory marked Brown’s 77th career win. To reach the final round, Brown had to defeat Shawn Reed, Steve Torrence, and Brittany Force, showcasing consistent performance throughout the weekend in Sonoma.

“Sonoma has a special meaning to me. It’s like a piece of heaven out here, and just being here puts me in the zone,” Brown said. “Me and Tony know each other well. He was also a hero of mine when he ran NASCAR and IndyCar. I know how good of a driver he is..”

Brown’s consistency paid off in a big way, as he secured his fifth Top Fuel victory at Sonoma, tying him with Doug Kalitta for the most wins in this class at the facility. Meanwhile, Tony Stewart will look for positives from his best-ever performance in the 2024 season so far and build on it. Adding to the slump is, Matt Hagan, who is competing in the Funny Car division, also suffered a similar fate.

Only a semi-final run for team Tony Stewart at Sonoma

In comparison to Tony Stewart’s struggle this season, Matt Hagan has managed to hold his own in the Funny Car division. He registered a historic 50th career win during the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte. And then followed it up with another victory at the Route 66 Raceway, overcoming treacherous racing conditions. Despite racking up four championships to his name, Hagan was searching for his first win at the Sonoma Nationals, and once again, a win at Wine Country eluded him.

In the first-round call-out, Matt Hagan comfortably overcame the challenge of Jeff Diehl. Advancing to the second round, he was paired up with Chad Green, and again, Hagan came out on top. But his strong run came to a halt against three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps in the semi-final. Hagan was trailing behind Capps in the points standings by only five points, and this result wouldn’t lead to seismic changes as Capps wasn’t able to close out the day and lost in the finals against Bob Tasca III.

Tony Stewart and Matt Hagan will be back in action at the Brainerd International Raceway for their next event from August 15–18, 2024.