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CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (June 15, 2010) - Matt Hagan, who races the DieHard
Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing in the 2010 NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series, manages a 500-acre Angus Cattle farm in
Christiansburg, Va., just a hop-skip away from Bristol Dragway in Tennessee.
So, Hagan will feel very much at home this weekend at the 10th annual NHRA
Thunder Valley Nationals.
In the middle of hay-baling season on the farm, Hagan is also making hay on
the NHRA circuit. So far, in his second year as a full-time pro Funny Car
racer, he's won two national events in as many final rounds, claimed one
pole position and set a national elapsed-time record. He stands third in the
class point standings and is hoping for a hometown home run this weekend by
winning his third national event of the year, and his first in Bristol.
"We have a great race car; we just missed it a little bit in Englishtown
last Sunday (semifinal finish). Although we didn't make it to the final, we
know our hot-weather tune-up is beginning to work for us. We expect it to be
hot and humid in Bristol also.
"(Crew chief) Tommy DeLago will probably go back to what we learned last
weekend and kind of go off of that. We'd love to start a winning streak of
our own (he snapped Robert Hight's three-win string after he defeated him in
Chicago two weekends ago), but we're just happy to go rounds. This is such a humbling sport that any time we can get out of the first round we're doing a
good job.
"The DieHard team is growing together, the driver and the crew chiefs are
growing well together, and we're still learning from each other. Having
(co-crew chief) John Medlen on board is a great asset. This team hasn't
peaked yet; we have a lot of potential left to get out of us and our race
car.
"We're coming up to the halfway point of the season and we still have a lot
of racing left and a lot of opportunities to win again. We're going to go
out there and have some more fun.
"I'm really looking forward to Bristol because we'll be racing in front of a
hometown crowd. We're going to have a lot of friends and family out there,
so if anybody has any extra tickets they don't need, I sure can use them,²
he said with a laugh.
As for his goals for this weekend and down the road, "One of our goals is
obviously to win," he said, "but the big goal is to secure a spot in the
Countdown. We'd love to be No. 1 right now, but when it really matters is
when we get the opportunity to start over and try to peak and have our
performance the best it can be when we roll into the Countdown."
MATT HAGAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 3 in 2010 Funny Car standings, after two victories in two final rounds
(four career final rounds), four quarterfinal finishes, two semifinal and
three first rounds in first 11 events of season
* Is 96 points behind leader Robert Hight, 71 in back of John Force in
second
* Set national top-speed record (to 1000 feet) of 316.15 mph in Gainesville
2010. It has since been eclipsed by Ashley Force Hood with a 316.38 mph
* Set national elapsed-time record in Chicago 2010: 4.022 seconds
* Qualified No. 4 in 2009 Bristol race; lost first round to Tony Pedregon
* 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 32-34
* 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: 4.022 seconds (Chicago 2010)
* Fastest speed to 1000 feet so far: 316.15 mph (Gainesville 2010)
* Manages family 500-acre Angus Cattle farm in Virginia
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 18 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 19 * FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 20 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K (Digital SD
feed)
Saturday, June 19, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
Sunday, June 20, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(11800 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: 3Ž4; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing in the 2010 NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series, manages a 500-acre Angus Cattle farm in
Christiansburg, Va., just a hop-skip away from Bristol Dragway in Tennessee.
So, Hagan will feel very much at home this weekend at the 10th annual NHRA
Thunder Valley Nationals.
In the middle of hay-baling season on the farm, Hagan is also making hay on
the NHRA circuit. So far, in his second year as a full-time pro Funny Car
racer, he's won two national events in as many final rounds, claimed one
pole position and set a national elapsed-time record. He stands third in the
class point standings and is hoping for a hometown home run this weekend by
winning his third national event of the year, and his first in Bristol.
"We have a great race car; we just missed it a little bit in Englishtown
last Sunday (semifinal finish). Although we didn't make it to the final, we
know our hot-weather tune-up is beginning to work for us. We expect it to be
hot and humid in Bristol also.
"(Crew chief) Tommy DeLago will probably go back to what we learned last
weekend and kind of go off of that. We'd love to start a winning streak of
our own (he snapped Robert Hight's three-win string after he defeated him in
Chicago two weekends ago), but we're just happy to go rounds. This is such a humbling sport that any time we can get out of the first round we're doing a
good job.
"The DieHard team is growing together, the driver and the crew chiefs are
growing well together, and we're still learning from each other. Having
(co-crew chief) John Medlen on board is a great asset. This team hasn't
peaked yet; we have a lot of potential left to get out of us and our race
car.
"We're coming up to the halfway point of the season and we still have a lot
of racing left and a lot of opportunities to win again. We're going to go
out there and have some more fun.
"I'm really looking forward to Bristol because we'll be racing in front of a
hometown crowd. We're going to have a lot of friends and family out there,
so if anybody has any extra tickets they don't need, I sure can use them,²
he said with a laugh.
As for his goals for this weekend and down the road, "One of our goals is
obviously to win," he said, "but the big goal is to secure a spot in the
Countdown. We'd love to be No. 1 right now, but when it really matters is
when we get the opportunity to start over and try to peak and have our
performance the best it can be when we roll into the Countdown."
MATT HAGAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 3 in 2010 Funny Car standings, after two victories in two final rounds
(four career final rounds), four quarterfinal finishes, two semifinal and
three first rounds in first 11 events of season
* Is 96 points behind leader Robert Hight, 71 in back of John Force in
second
* Set national top-speed record (to 1000 feet) of 316.15 mph in Gainesville
2010. It has since been eclipsed by Ashley Force Hood with a 316.38 mph
* Set national elapsed-time record in Chicago 2010: 4.022 seconds
* Qualified No. 4 in 2009 Bristol race; lost first round to Tony Pedregon
* 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 32-34
* 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: 4.022 seconds (Chicago 2010)
* Fastest speed to 1000 feet so far: 316.15 mph (Gainesville 2010)
* Manages family 500-acre Angus Cattle farm in Virginia
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 18 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 19 * FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 20 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K (Digital SD
feed)
Saturday, June 19, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
Sunday, June 20, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(11800 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: 3Ž4; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
