Matt Hagan came into the NHRA Midwest Nationals just five points out of the lead in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Funny Car points battles in years. He’s leaving St. Louis with a somewhat generous 59 point advantage over the field thanks to an impressive performance that resulted in his third win of the season.
“I’m just humbled and grateful to be out here to be honest with you,” said Hagan. “I dealt with COVID for a couple of weeks and there were a couple of times where you’re like ‘Man, I don’t know if I’m going to pull through this.’ It’s one of those things where it humbled me and I’m glad to be back out here with you guys having fun and winning trophies."
“This was a slugfest all weekend,” Hagan continued. “Everyone was making great runs and it’s pretty incredibly to be a part of it and hang on to it. I’ve never won at this race track. Denver, Sonoma, and this place. I won Denver earlier this year so we’re clicking them off. Big points day. Every round matters. I’ve won three world championships and been runner-up twice and you know how to deal with the pressure. I don’t care who you are, it’s still pressure.”
RPM Round By Round:
Round 1 - Matt Hagan gets the bye and doesnt put any stress on the car.
Round 2 - JR Todd lined up against Hagan for his first real test of the day. Both drivers started off almost equal but it was Hagan who gets the victory after Todd smokes the tires at about 400 feet. Hagan ran a 3.894 at 332.18 MPH.
Round 3 - Hagan faced Cruz Pedregon in the semi's and this was a good race from start to finish. While Pedregon had a slight jump at the start, Hagan was able to catch up and pass him at around 300 feet. Hagan wins with a run of 3.922 at 328.30 MPH.
Round 4 - A hungry Bob Tasca was waiting in the final but Hagan would have lane choice. A great final from start to finish as Hagan takes a slight advantage from the start and gets the Wally with a run of 3.933 at 333.49 MPH.
Check out the full recap by Kevin McKenna: