Matt Hagan, driver of the American Rebel Beer Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
- Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.892 ET at 329.91 mph)
- Fell to No. 8 provisional qualifying in Q2 on Friday (3.873 ET at 330.39 mph)
- Maintained No. 8 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 3.993 ET at 307.23 mph. Q3 was also part of the NHRA’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where Hagan faced Paul Lee, J.R. Todd and Daniel Wilkerson. Hagan defeated Lee’s 4.065 ET, 297.09 mph run, Wilkerson’s 4.219 ET, 229.24 mph run, and Todd’s 5.353 ET, 135.35 mph run.
- Secured No. 8 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q2 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 4.014 ET at 319.29 mph. Q4 was also served as the NHRA’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Finals, where Hagan faced Spencer Hyde, Paul Lee and Austin Prock. Hagan lost to Prock’s 3.949 ET, 322.50 mph run, Hyde’s 3.949 ET, 325.69 mph run, and Lee’s 3.978 ET, 311.70 mph run.
- Advanced to Finals on Sunday:
- Round 1: 3.939 ET at 331.28 mph, defeated Paul Lee (4.469 ET at 189.39 mph) and Bobby Bode (8.190 ET at 91.64 mph). Dave Richards also advanced to Round 2 (4.439 ET at 306.26 mph).
- Round 2: 3.962 ET at 325.77 mph, defeated Dave Richards (10.378 ET at 88.51 mph) and Chad Green (4.574 ET at 218.37 mph – red lit). Alexis DeJoria also advanced to the Finals (5.115 ET at 147.20 mph).
- Finals: 3.939 ET at 329.10 mph, lost to Austin Prock in first (3.870 ET at 332.92 mph) and Ron Capps in second (3.920 ET at 327.51 mph). Alexis DeJoria finished fourth (3.933 ET at 327.98 mph).
- Currently second in the championship standings, 50 points behind Funny Car leader Austin Prock
- Stewart advanced to his third consecutive final round. The other Final appearances came at the 65th NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas.
- Stewart advanced to Round 2 after earning a holeshot in Round 1, with a RT (reaction time) of .069.
- The American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte marked Hagan’s second consecutive appearance to the Finals, following the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas.
- By finishing in the Semifinals, Hagan improved his position in the Funny Car championship point standings from fourth to second.
- Hagan advanced to his second consecutive Final at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, having earned the win in 2024 (3.946 ET at 332.34 mph) after defeating Daniel Wilkerson (3.923 ET at 327.59 mph), J.R. Todd (3.978 ET at 320.36 mph) and John Force (3.960 ET at 329.75 mph).
- By finishing in the Semifinals, Hagan and Stewart have secured their positions in the NHRA’s #2Fast2Tasty Mission Challenge, where Hagan will face off against Alexis DeJoria at Chicago and Stewart will race Antron Brown. The Semifinalists from Charlotte will rematch during qualifying on Saturday, with bonus money and points on the line.
- American Rebel Light served as the event sponsor for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. American Rebel Light is more than just a beer – it’s a celebration of freedom, passion, and quality. Brewed with care and precision, their light beer delivers a refreshing taste that’s perfect for every occasion. American Rebel Light is currently available in 10 states (Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee), with additional states being announced soon. They have been a partner of TSR for three seasons.
“It was really cool to have Andy Ross (American Rebel CEO) out here this weekend. It was a big weekend for him sponsoring the race and our car. I’m happy we were able to go rounds for him today and put on a good show for everyone. We went down the racetrack every run this weekend. We have new crew chiefs (Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler – co-crew chief). It’s no different than seat time. You get better after 20 years. The crew chiefs get better with making calls on the racetrack. It’s a very competitive field and we just needed a little more out there. We’ve been to a lot of rounds so far and it’s more than some of the seasoned crew chiefs can say. I’m confident in our guys and they’re doing a great job. I’m feeling good about the races we have coming up. We’ll be in Chicago next and we’ve won that one a few times (four). It’s been good to me, so we’ll roll into the next one. We’re still going to drink American Rebel Light no matter what.”
The post Charlotte Event Recap for the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.
Continue reading...
