For the first time this year, Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan knocked off Robert Hight in the final round, powering to an impressive third win of the season on Sunday at the NHRA New England Nationals at a sold-out New England Dragway.
Hagan delivered a run of 3.922-seconds at 327.98 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat for Tony Stewart Racing in the championship round against Hight, as the two standouts met in the final for the third time in 2022. Hight won the first two, including at the most recent race, but Hagan earned his 42nd career win on Sunday. It’s also his fourth win at New England Dragway in the past five events, as Hagan knocked off Dale Creasy Jr. and J.R. Todd to reach the final round. It was his sixth championship round in eight races and followed with the impressive win against Hight.
“It was just a great weekend, and I can’t say enough about (crew chief) Dickie Venables,” Hagan said. “Nothing really needs to be said because the race car speaks for itself. All the boys wrenching on the car just do a great job, and when I crawl in that car, I don’t have to think about anything other than leaving the starting line. I’m nothing without those guys, and I’m so proud of them. They truly deserve all the credit, and I should be giving all my trophies to these guys.
“We’re in a great rhythm, and Dickie is in a great mind space. I think we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. There will be some lows, but that’s drag racing. You just try to ride this wave as long as you can. I give a lot of respect to Robert Hight and Jimmy Prock for showing up and showing out, and I love that. It creates a great rivalry for the fans.”
Hight stayed second in points, advancing to the final round for the fifth time this year and 89th overall with wins against Cory Lee, Alexis DeJoria and defending world champion Ron Capps.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action June 17-19 with the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Hagan's weekend highlights:
● Earned No. 1 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.878 ET at 332.51 mph).
● Scored three bonus points for quickest run of the session.
● Maintained No. 1 qualifying position based on Friday’s Q1 run. No. 1 in Saturday’s Q2 session (3.908 ET at 328.78 mph).
● Scored three bonus points for quickest run of the session.
● Secured No. 1 qualifying position based on Friday’s Q1 run. No. 9 in Saturday’s Q3 session (6.187 ET at 110.60 mph).
● Advanced to the final round on Sunday:
● Round 1: 4.097 ET at 261.83 mph, defeated Dale Creasy Jr. (10.284 ET at 88.72).
● Round 2: 3.948 ET at 323.27 mph in a bye.
● Semifinal: 3.963 ET at 325.69 mph, defeated J.R. Todd (3.981 ET at 323.58 mph).
● Final: 3.922 ET at 327.98 mph, defeated Robert Hight (6.232 ET at 110.15 mph).
● Currently leads the Funny Car championship standings with a 41-point advantage over Hight.
Weekend Notes:
● Hagan’s Funny Car victory in the NHRA New England Nationals was the 42nd of his career, his third of the season and his fourth at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.
● Hagan has been the winning Funny Car driver in four of the last five NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events at Epping (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022).
● The victory was Hagan’s first in the four, head-to-head, final-round matchups against Robert Hight this season. In their 40 career head-to-head matchups, Hagan and Hight have now won 20 times apiece. Hight holds an 8-4 advantage in final-round matchups.
● Hagan’s final-round appearance was the 77th of his career. He has advanced to the finals in six of this year’s eight NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events.
● The No. 1 qualifying position Hagan earned on Friday was his second in a row and third this season. It was the 46th of his career and his second at Epping.
See the full day recap and all the winners:
Unofficial Camping World points standings:
Sunday's Photo Gallery:
How did things finish in comparison to today's preview:
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