Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Features

Hagan Putting Points First at Englishtown

Hagan_speed_side640With two-thirds of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season remaining, Matt Hagan believes it’s never too early to count points toward the Countdown to the Championship.

Hagan sits third in NHRA Funny Car points with one title in three championship round appearances in Don Schumacher Racing’s Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar/Rocky Boots Funny Car.

Matt Hagan

Matt Hagan

“The points right now are so tight between me, Johnny (Gray) and Cruz (Pedregon), and Ron (Capps) isn’t that far back in fourth so it’s shaping up to be a great points battle,” Hagan said. “I think we are about a round and a half out of first and we need a really good race to remain there in the top three and I don’t want to let Capps get around us.”

Gray, a DSR teammate who has won three titles this year, is atop the standings with 591 points, followed by Pedregon at 581, Hagan at 568 and DSR’s Capps at 512. Each round win during eliminations is worth 20 points.

Hagan will try to use the NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at Englishtown, N.J., as a rebound from the last NHRA event at Topeka where the team suffered a rare first-round loss.

“Anyone that says they aren’t watching or counting points right now is lying,” he said. “Everyone is worried about points and trying to get that No. 1 spot to have that extra boost once the Countdown starts.

“It’s very important that we do well. There’s no doubt that we have the potential, and I just have to go up there and drive it and not mess up. I think we can do that.

Johnny Gray (left) and Matt Hagan

Johnny Gray (left) and Matt Hagan

“Like I’ve said before, things aren’t going to go great all the time and it’s about how we bounce back. I think we’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re lost, we just got outrun in Topeka and we’re going to do our best not to let that happen again.”

The teams had Memorial Day weekend off after five consecutive weekends at racetracks, but Hagan couldn’t be more anxious to get back behind the wheel of his 10,000-horsepower Dodge Charger R/T.

“I’m really looking forward to Englishtown. I’m just pumped to be back in the racecar. We have a lot of potential. We just had an off race there in Topeka. We have to roll into Englishtown with one thought in mind and that’s to get out of the first round and keep winning races.”

(DI.com file photos by Ian Tocher; Click to enlarge)

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

News

The star-studded STREET OUTLAWS: No Prep Kings series is set to return for its 6th season in the summer of 2023. Fans can expect to...

News

Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings star and renowned engine builder Pat Musi joined the recent episode of The Wes Buck Show and provided an update...

News

Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings star Lizzy Musi announced today that she has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer via her Youtube channel....

News

Tony Christian, one of the pioneering drivers of the Pro Street movement, passed away Thursday, June 9. Christian was infamous for his battles with...

Since 2005, DI has informed, inspired and educated drag racers from every walk of the racing life - weekend warrior and street/strip enthusiasts to pro-level doorslammer and Top Fuel racers. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-worthy videos to electric live events, DI meets hundreds of thousands of racers where they live, creating the moments that create conversations.