Hagan Comes Up Short At Epping
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<P>Matt Hagan's chance for a championship finish during his rookie year in the IHRA Knoll Gas Motorsports Nitro Jam NFC series is now a long shot after a third place finish in last weekend's North American Nationals. Coming into the event Hagan was in a tightly contested points chase between Terry Haddock, Paul Lee, and himself.
Hagan started the weekend off right as the low qualifier with a 4.974/309.20 pass that was also a career best pass. Hagan then dispatched John Lawson in the first round and faced Andy Kelley in the semifinals, where he was eliminated. Hagan's car shook at the 200 foot mark and allowed Kelley to gain enough ground to overtake him.
Kelley went on to win in the finals against points leader Terry Haddock. Hagan's semifinal placement will allow him to overtake Paul Lee for the second place spot on the points ladder but will not be enough to catch Haddock.
"I want to congratulate Andy Kelley and Terry Haddock on a great race," said Hagan. "They got it done and we didn't, it's just that simple."
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<P>When official points come out this week Hagan will be 65 points behind Haddock. Although there is still a possibility of Hagan overtaking Haddock in the final race it is a slim one.
"It would take a miracle race at this point," said Hagan. "We still have a shot but it's a long shot to say the least."
Hagan and crew now have their sights set on Rockingham for that miracle. "We're going to go to Rockingham and put out best foot forward," said Hagan. It should prove to be an exciting conclusion to a great season for the team. Hagan has already won a national event at Rockingham this year and feels very comfortable with the track.
"No matter what happens in this last event we're going to be proud of our season," said Hagan. "We have raced alongside some great race teams and we feel like we've been very competitive in our rookie season."
Hagan and crew will finish out their IHRA season on October 17-19 at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, NC.
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