-
Matt’s Major Milestone! May 01, 2024 // NHRA Event FC Results // editorReigning NHRA Mission Funny Car Champion Matt Hagan crossed a significant career path – notching his 50th NHRA career victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car.
The four-time NHRA Funny Car titleholder passed the legendary Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in NHRA career victories with an impressive “holeshot” win in the final round over a strong lineup of John Force, J.R. Todd and Daniel Wilkerson with a 3.946 run at 332.34 mph. Hagan’s spectacular reaction time of 0.029 was the difference Sunday in scoring his first 2024 NHRA national event title.
It was the fourth NHRA win for Hagan at a drag strip he considers his “home track” after taking national wins in 2011, 2013 and 2014 at the popular zMAX Dragway. The Virginia racer advanced in the first round with a 3.918 over David Richards, Austin Prock and Blake Alexander, and then won the semifinals over Wilkerson, Bob Tasca III and Richards with a 3.879 at 334.24 mph, his top speed of the year.
Hagan, who recorded the first sub-four-second run in NHRA Funny Car history at zMAX Dragway in 2011 in a Dodge Charger, moves to third in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car points standings as the NHRA national tour moves to the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, on May 17-19. Sunday’s win was Hagan’s eleventh with Tony Stewart Racing, recorded from 2022 to 2024.
“This is a massive achievement to win 50 NHRA national events,” said Hagan. “It’s great to have Dodge with us in the winner’s circle for so many years. It’s so special to be around a great group of guys at Tony Stewart Racing. We have had the same crew for three straight years. Great people make the difference between winning and losing and this team is so strong and consistent. Dickie (Venables, crew chief), Mike Knudson, Alex Conaway and the whole team work so hard to give me a great racecar. It’s always fun to put this Dodge//SRT Hellcat in the winner’s circle.
“This 50th win just passed a legend in Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in career wins and to have four NHRA Funny Car championships with the likes of John Force, ‘Snake’ and Kenny Bernstein. I’m so honored to be with that group. This track is just two hours from my home in Virginia, so this is a home track for me. Winning four NHRA races at the zMAX Dragway in my career is special too. I have so many fans here. I actually think I outsold Tony (Stewart) in T-shirts this weekend. So, right now, we might not be the fastest car, but the crew can really race on Sundays and showed it again today. I never dreamed I would race a Funny Car, let alone win 50 races at the NHRA national level. So, it’s amazing.”2Fast2Tasty Fast!
Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III made the fastest run in zMAX Dragway history while racing to the victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge specialty race as part of this weekend’s 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte (held Saturday).
In the Challenge final, Tasca went 3.834-seconds at 338.34 mph – the 10th-fastest run in Funny Car history – in his Ford Performance Mustang to hold off points leader Austin Prock, J.R. Todd and Paul Lee. .
“Hats off to (crew chiefs) Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara. It was an incredible, incredible call in that final,” Tasca said. “This thing was fast, baby. It was dancing around and I was driving my butt off. It hauled the mail and it was exactly what we were looking for.”“The 338 mph goes to show you that the hard work that (Brooks and Okuhara) put in and the attention to detail pays off. These guys were focused on getting this race car right for the final round and winning this race. It’s Saturday but I feel like I’m in the winner’s circle on Sunday. This is an awesome thing (Mission does). We take it very seriously. We want to win this thing.”
Funny Car Racing Class Summary
WIN: Matt Hagan – 3.946 secs 332.34 mph (Career win #50)
R/UP: Dan Wilkerson – 3.923 secs 327.59 mph
Low ET: John Force – 3.820 secs
Top MPH: Bob Tasca III – 338.39 mph
Bump: 5.425 secs
Entries – 16 carsPosted with files by Tom Blattler, NHRA Communications & Bruce Biegler
Photos courtesy of NHRA (Marc Gewertz) and Auto Imagery
Comments are closed.