JUPITER — The familiar rush of adrenaline returned to Matt Hagan as he sat in the driver’s seat of his fuel Funny Car, blitzing down the track this past weekend for the first time since October.
Five months ago, the last time he raced, Hagan, 38, was crowned the NHRA Funny Car world champion. This time, it’s a practice run for the 2021 season opener at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Thursday through Sunday.
But in beginning his championship defense, Hagan will face a track where he has yet to claim victory at the Gainesville Raceway.
“You know, I want to pull down a win at the Gatornationals,” Hagan said. “In my career, I’ve been able to be very blessed, I’ve been very fortunate to win a lot of races and a bunch of championships. And Florida is one of those ones that’s gotten away from me. I’ve been to the finals there, but just never sealed the deal.”
As rain clouds moved over the track and cut runs short during Saturday’s practice session at Palm Beach International Raceway, Hagan reflected on the whirlwind year that the racing world navigated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many drivers wondering if the weekend’s practice runs would even remain scheduled.
“Mentally, I think it was more stressful last year than any of my championships I’ve ever won just because there was no real direction and you didn’t know what was going to happen, and you didn’t know if you were going to make this race or if this was going to be the last race of the year,” he said. “That put a mental strain on me.”
This year, the Gatornationals, which Hagan calls “the kickoff race on the east coast,” will open up the NHRA season, where the defending champion will face John Force Racing and Kalitta Motorsports, among a dozen of the top fuel-car teams in the world.
And despite his lack of success so far at the track, Hagan is excited to get back out there in Gainesville. Winning, he says, comes down to a formula. The Christiansburg, Virginia native should know, having won 36 events during his career.
“Drag racing is very unique in that it’s a craft of repetition,” he said. “You try to do the same thing over and over, without fail. It’s all about consistency, and keeping your guys focused, and doing the same thing every time.”
It sounds like a simple plan to follow, but it's far from easy when you're willing an 11,000 horsepower engine down 1,000 feet of track in under four seconds.
“What’s so humbling about drag-racing a fuel funny car,” he continued, “is that you can do it all right, you can drive your ass off in there, your crew chief can make all the right calls, my guys can put it together the right way, but we’re still at the mercy of the parts and pieces.”
Outside of Gatornationals, Hagan certainly has recent history on his side as the 2021 season kicks off.
In representing Don Schumacher racing, Hagan helped the team to its 14th straight Funny Car victory last year, a streak that extends to October 2019.
On top of that, winning the Funny Car championship for the third time in his career (2011, 2014, 2020), puts him fourth all-time for titles in the category, tied with Raymond Beadle and Robert Hight.
But it all seems to go back to the race that’s gotten away from him, and this weekend, he’ll get another chance at taking down the track that has eluded his win record.
“Sometimes you want something so bad that you push it away from yourself,” Hagan said. “I learned a long time ago, with championships, you have to let it come to you. Just have to go out there and do the best job you can and work as hard as you can, and know that you’ve got a championship car underneath you and a caliber crew -- and go out there and drive your butt off.”
The Link LonkMarch 10, 2021 at 07:40PM
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Funny Car champ Matt Hagan still seeking first win at Gatornationals - Palm Beach Post
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