Hagan Finishes as Runner-Up at Winternationals

The NHRA Mission World Champion takes runner-up title in rain delayed Winternationals Funny Car final

Over the weekend, Matt Hagan competed in two NHRA events and clinched the runner-up title at the rain-delayed Winternationals in a thrilling Funny Car final against John Force while driving the team’s Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car.

During Sunday's eliminations, the four-time NHRA Mission World Champion aimed to advance to the quarterfinals, but was outpaced by young Daniel Wilkerson who clocked in a 3.949 run compared to Hagan's 4.043.

“It was a tough weekend for us with three qualifying runs and a tricky racetrack,” said Hagan. “Our setup and combination didn't really work well all weekend. We just got outran out there. I don't know that we were going to run a 3.94 against Wilkerson, but we definitely weren’t trying to run 4.04. At the end of the day, we learned how to go down a hot racetrack, and we can apply that to some races coming up in the middle of the summer. We had hotter weather conditions than we're used to here in Phoenix, so unfortunately it was a short day for us. But we will apply what we learned to move forward. I want to put this Dodge//SRT Hellcat back in the winner’s circle soon.”

Hagan is gearing up for Las Vegas, where he will be participating in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at the renowned Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Strip. With an impressive track record of 2023 wins, Hagan is determined to reclaim his spot in the victory lane. Having already secured top honors in Funny Car, this will mark Hagan's fifth triumphant moment at the Strip, adding to his illustrious drag racing career.

Nick Cavanaugh | @Car_Sick_Nick | All Roads Lead to The Motor City