Hagan looking towards Countdown as Norwalk nears
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES Round 13 of 23 Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park Norwalk, Ohio June 25-27, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net HAGAN LOOKING TOWARDS COUNTDOWN AS NORWALK NEARS CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (June 23, 2010) - With only five national events remaining in the 2010 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series before the Countdown to 1 playoffs kick in for the top 10 in points in the final six races of the year, Matt Hagan is focused on securing a berth to vie for his first Funny Car championship. The driver of the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing is third in the standings heading into the fourth annual NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, this weekend. He's won two events so far, set a national elapsed-time record, and is eager to move up in the standings and clinch a spot in the playoffs. He is just 68 markers short of second place, and 126 out of first. "Right now it¹s very possible we could move into second place," said the 27-year-old Angus Cattle farmer from Christiansburg, Va. "If we accomplish that then we'll worry about getting into first and getting ahead of (points leader) John Force. We definitely have to take it one race at a time. And I'm looking forward to returning to Norwalk, where I've raced Pro Mod in the past. The fans are great there. "Every time you think John is in a slump he jumps right back up there and wins another race," added Hagan, referring to Force's victory last Sunday in Bristol, Tenn. "He's won four and we've won two, so we have to win two more to catch up. The DieHard Dodge is always qualifying well, so we are earning those qualifying bonus points, which is great, and we still have five races to try to break even with him. "We're not as worried about the points right now as we are about making sure that we secure our spot in the top 10. I think that's what the crew chiefs are trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do as a driver. Last year, as a rookie team, we didn't have a place in the top 10. After that, it was kind of depressing the rest of the year, so we don't want to be in that situation again. We're doing what we need to do and the DieHard guys are doing a good job, and hopefully I'm doing my part. "I'm just really excited to run a bunch of these races back to back (Norwalk is the fourth straight race). It puts a lot of pressure on me at home trying to make sure that everything gets done during the hay season, but racing is the priority and we're going to go out there and do the best we can." As for crew chief John Medlen being reassigned to the NAPA AUTO PARTS team at DSR, "It's kind of back to the way things used to be before John came on board in March,² said Hagan. ³John is a smart guy and he's helped our program, and we've learned a lot from him, but the change shouldn¹t really affect our team. We're still going to talk to him and relay information back and forth. "I've been really proud of (tuner) Tommy DeLago. He's turning into a seasoned crew chief and I have no worries. He and John will still communicate and we shouldn¹t miss a beat. John and Ed McCulloch (former NAPA crew chief who will act as DSR consultant among the three Funny Car teams) will work well together, because John is so easy to get along with." MATT HAGAN QUICK FACTS: * No. 3 in 2010 Funny Car standings, after two victories in two final rounds (four career final rounds), five quarterfinal finishes, two semifinal and three first rounds in first 12 events of season * Is 126 points behind leader John Force, 68 in back of Robert Hight 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. 9 in 2009 Norwalk race; lost first round to Bob Tasca * 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 33-35 * 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 WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, June 25 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 4:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. SATURDAY, June 26 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 12:10 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. SUNDAY, June 27 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, June 26, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 7 p.m. (ET). Sunday, June 27, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 4:30 p.m. (ET). Sunday, June 27, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, June 25, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K (Digital SD feed) Saturday, June 26, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K Sunday, June 27, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K (11800 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz) Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners¹ interviews on Sunday. ***