Local racer Hagan upset in Richmond opening round

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 4 of six in Countdown to 1 Playoffs
Round 22 of 24 for season
Fourth Annual NHRA Virginia Nationals
Virginia Motorsports Park
Dinwiddie, Va.
Oct. 9-11, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

LOCAL RACER HAGAN UPSET IN RICHMOND OPENING ROUND

DINWIDDIE, Va. (Oct. 11, 2009) - After impressing his Christiansburg, Va.,
family and friends, who were here rooting him on at the NHRA Virginia
Nationals, by qualifying No. 3 with a career-best elapsed-time and top speed
of 4.051 seconds and 309.49 mph, Hagan was upset in the opening round of
Funny Car eliminations.

Driving the shelor.com Dodge Funny Car, the contender for the 2009
Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award as an NHRA
rookie-of-the-year frontrunner was ready for a strong result en route to
achieving his goal of winning his first event of his rookie season at
Virginia Motorsports Park, just south of Richmond, Va.

But it wasn't to be, as he struck the tires early in the run against Del
Worsham, which shook the car enough to deploy the parachutes, and Hagan was
there for the taking. Worsham claimed the victory with a 4.108-second pass
to Hagan's 5.686/103.31.

"We're not happy with that, by any means," said Hagan, who is not in the
Countdown to 1 playoffs and remains in 12th place. "For this type of race
car to go out there and run a 4.05 and be No. 3 qualifier, then go out first
round is very, very disapponting to me as a driver, to our team and to our
crew chief (Tommy DeLago).

"It's easy to get your head in the mud here, and you have to dig yourself
back out. We only have two races left to win a race and we have to start
looking at that. 

"My goal is to get a Wally (winner's trophy named after NHRA founder Wally
Parks) before the year is up and that's kind of slipping away. So, whatever
we have to do, whether it's bite, kick, spit, grab or pinch, to get
ourselves back up and running again on race days and quit smoking the tires,
we have to do it. No ifs, ands or buts.

"We have two races left. We did well in Las Vegas earlier this year (first
final round, runner-up), so hopefully we'll roll back in there and do well
again." The final two events in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif., will complete
the season.

"We were too aggressive out there," he said of that run. "The track was a
little hotter and we tried to run a really good number. We tried to run a
4.06 or 4.07 (-second elapsed time), and there's just no room for mistakes
when the guy runs a 4.10 beside you.

"When you mess up, you go home, and that's what we did today."

Next up is the ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

UNOFFICIAL POINT STANDINGS, after 22 of 24 events:
1. Robert Hight, 2362
2. Ashley Force Hood, 2349
3. Tony Pedregon, 2314
4. Ron Capps, 2299
5. Tim Wilkerson, 2280 (runner-up today)
6. Jack Beckman, 2276
7. Bob Tasca III, 2259
8. Del Worsham, 2227 (winner today)
9. John Force, 2216
10. Mike Neff, 2203
11. Cruz Pedregon, 1034
12. Matt Hagan, 1000

***