Matt Hagan, driver of the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car:
“Today was a tough race day. We qualified ninth, so we didn’t have lane choice in round one. We pulled back a little bit because the left lane is a bit bumpy. We ran a good drag race, but we were on the back side of it and that is drag racing. We definitely would have liked to have gone some rounds in our Dodge Direct Connection Funny Car. The ladder opened up with Austin (Prock) losing first round, so we could have made up some points. We’re looking forward to Bristol. I know they’ve been working on the track surface, so we should put on a good show for the fans. We’ll be running the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage car there. They’re going to bring in a neat tow vehicle for the team to use there. We’re trying to incorporate more of Jason’s (Johnson) dealerships into what we’re doing at the track. We’re in striking distance of a win, we just have to put together four in a row.”
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- Earned No. 4 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.930 ET at 327.74 mph)
- Fell to No. 9 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Hagan ran a 4.420 ET at 197.74 mph.
- Fell to No. 10 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Hagan ran a 4.451 ET at 195.31 mph. Hagan faced Austin Prock in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where his run defeated Prock’s 5.399 ET at 171.23 mph.
- Secured No. 9 qualifying position in Q4 on Saturday (3.920 ET at 329.83 mph). Hagan faced Jack Beckman in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Finals, where his run lost to Beckman’s 3.913 ET at 316.52 mph.
- Round 1: 3.893 ET at 333.74 mph, lost to Spencer Hyde (3.863 ET at 333.08 mph)
- Currently fourth in the championship standings, 95 points behind Funny Car leader Austin Prock
- In the first seven events this season, Stewart has advanced to five consecutive Finals. He maintains the Top Fuel points lead as the NHRA heads to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals next weekend in Bristol, Tennessee.
- Stewart is the only driver in Top Fuel that has advanced past Round 1 in every race this season.
- By advancing to the Semifinals, Stewart qualified to participate in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next event, the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The challenge brings competitive racing to the qualifying schedule at 13 regular-season events during the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series campaign, pitting semifinalists from the previous race against each other in a pair of rematches, with the two winners then matching up in the final qualifying session. Stewart earned a rematch against Antron Brown in Round 1.
- Hagan and Stewart both advanced to their second consecutive final-round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. They previously both advanced to the Final at the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago. It marked the fifth Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season that Hagan and Stewart have participated in. The only event neither driver participated in the specialty race was the 65th NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California.
- Despite losing in Round 1, Hagan is the all-time leader in New England Nationals victories, having won four of the last eight events. During that span, he has compiled an 18-4 record. Hagan has more No. 1 starts at Epping than any other Funny Car driver with three.
“Today was a tough race day. We qualified ninth, so we didn’t have lane choice in round one. We pulled back a little bit because the left lane is a bit bumpy. We ran a good drag race, but we were on the back side of it and that is drag racing. We definitely would have liked to have gone some rounds in our Dodge Direct Connection Funny Car. The ladder opened up with Austin (Prock) losing first round, so we could have made up some points. We’re looking forward to Bristol. I know they’ve been working on the track surface, so we should put on a good show for the fans. We’ll be running the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage car there. They’re going to bring in a neat tow vehicle for the team to use there. We’re trying to incorporate more of Jason’s (Johnson) dealerships into what we’re doing at the track. We’re in striking distance of a win, we just have to put together four in a row.”
The post Epping Event Recap for the NHRA New England Nationals appeared first on Matt Hagan Racing.
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