Matt Hagan is hungry for his first victory as a second-year Funny Car racer in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He came close in his rookie year in 2009, qualifying on the pole twice and reaching two final rounds. So far in 2010, he’s been No. 1 qualifier once, set a national speed record, and ended up in the four-wide final round in Concord, N.C., last week. His quest continues this weekend at the 23rd annual NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
“I’m really excited to get back into our regular routine of racing two-wide,” said Hagan, who drives the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. “And, having (co-crew chiefs) John Medlen and Tommy DeLago working together, I’m really looking to see where it’s going to lead us in Houston.
“We’ve had a fast race car, we made it the to finals; we need to go out there and do it again, and win.”
He credits the brain trust among the seven teams under the DSR umbrella for the entire team’s success. “For the three DSR Funny Car teams to be second (Ron Capps), third (Jack Beckman) and fifth (Hagan) in points is big for us as a group. To be able to share knowledge back and forth is an advantage.
“We on the DieHard team have to stay on top of it and make sure we don’t fall back a couple of races. These points right now are so tight that if you miss one round someone will go ahead of you. That can really hurt you points-wise and could knock you back out of the top 10.
“It’s very very close, but you can’t focus on that too much. You just have to go up there and be consistent. We have to put four consistent runs together in eliminations and I have to have four consistent lights (reaction times), and then we’ll be just fine.
“We just need to get that first win behind us and keep the momentum going.”
Last year in Houston, Hagan qualified seventh and lost the quarterfinal round to Del Worsham.
MATT HAGAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 5 in 2010 Funny Car standings, after three quarterfinal finishes and one “semifinal” in first four events of season
* Set national top-speed record (to 1000 feet) of 316.15 mph in Gainesville 2010
* Qualified No. 7 in 2009 Houston; lost second round to Del Worsham
* No. 11 in 2009 Funny Car point standings, as a Rookie-of-the-Year frontrunner. Was first finisher outside the Countdown to 1 contenders
* Had two runner-up finishes, 13 first-round, eight quarterfinal, and one semifinal in 2009
* Low qualifier once so far in 2010, in Gainesville. Qualified on pole twice in 2009: in Sonoma, Calif., and Las Vegas 2
* Has a career round-win record of 20-28
* Entered NHRA Funny Car class four times in 2008, qualifying once at the U.S. Nationals
* 2006 NHRA AMS Pro Mod Challenge Rookie of the Year
* 2010 is second season with Don Schumacher Racing
* Won class-best three Funny Car events in 2008 IHRA series, ending season third in point standings
* Born Nov. 11, 1982 in Salem, Va., lives in Christiansburg, Va.
* Married to Rachel; one son, Colby (10/27/06), one daughter Penny Louise (9/28/09)
* Quickest elapsed time to 1000 feet so far: 4.030 seconds (Las Vegas 2 2009)
* Fastest speed to 1000 feet so far: 316.15 mph (Gainesville 2010)
* Manages family 500-acre Angus Cattle farm in Virginia
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