Matt Hagan picked up his second straight win at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
JOLIET, Ill. – Matt Hagan became the first two-time funny car winner on Sunday when he defeated John Force in the final round of the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals. Hagan backed up his win in Charlotte with his second straight, but the road was a little tougher, as he came from the No. 11 qualified spot.
“That’s what I think I’m the most proud of, is my guys,” Hagan said. “They put such a good car under me as the day went on. We qualified 11th and got stuck in that left lane most of the day. I feel like the right lane was the better lane today, but we only got over there one time. I felt like we were coming from behind all day and my guys just did a great job of stepping up to the plate.”
Hagan had to survive a murder’s row of opponents on the day, staring with two time champion Ron Capps in the first round. Hagan ran a 4.087 second lap in the first round to hold off Capps’ 4.650. In round two it was No. 3 qualifier Paul Lee in the lane next to him, and once again, Hagan was up to the task, notching a 4.082 lap to best Lee’s 4.106.
The third round saw a rare 10 vs. 11 seed matchup between Hagan and Blake Alexander, and Hagan cruised into the finals with a 4.050 pass, while Alexander smoked his tires. In addition to his team putting a fast car under him throughout the day, Hagan played his part behind the wheel, churning out excellent reaction times throughout the day, In fact, the only round where he left the line second was the final round against Force, but he overcame Force’s edge with his first sub-four second run of the day, beating force to the line with a 3.988 to Force’s 4.096.
“(The crew) put a great car under me and I was killing the tree today. I was just seeing the light and things were coming together.”
Matt Hagan gets ready to start during Sunday’s Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Hagan remembers Schumacher after win
There was a memorial for racing legend Don Schumacher on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway, and Hagan’s win on Sunday – his fourth at the track – felt like a fitting honor for the man who gave him his big break in the NHRA. He was joined in the winner’s circle by Antron Brown, another former Schumacher protégée, who won the Top Fuel class on Sunday.
“(Brown) won and I won, and we were both Schu cars,” Hagan said. “Don Schumacher gave me my start here about 14 years ago. I was driving my own stuff, and I outqualified Force, Gary Scelzi and Tommy Johson Jr. and Scelzi was one of Schumacher’s drivers. I think Don and Scelzi were kind of butting heads a little bit and Scelzi decided he was going to step out of the seat. So when he walked past my pits, he said, ‘Who are you?’ and i said, ‘I don’t know man, I’m just trying to race.'”
Hagan had done enough to impress Schumacher, and a year later, he replaced Scelzi. He raced for Schumacher from 2009 through 2022, where he won three of his four Funny Car championships.
“This was very special for Don. We all miss him and love him,” Hagan said. “This is one of those things where, we always rolled in here and it was his race. You were supposed to win here. So to be able to pull down four wins here now is nice.”
Hagan credited Schumacher’s “tough love” for making him the driver and competitor that he is today, and said it was nice to win again at a track that was so special to him.
“As a man, as a driver, as a competitor, as a person, Don elevated me to be what he thought and saw in me, to be a four time champion. I owe a lot of that to Don Schumacher. He gave you tough love, but that’s just the way he was.”
Hagan relishes victory over Force
Sunday’s win over John Force was redemption for Hagan, who fell to Force in the final round of the Lucas Oil Winternationals. Hagan reflected after the win, that every time he lines up next to Force, it is an honor.
“John’s the GOAT,” Hagan said. “He’s the best that’s ever done it and the best that’s ever lived. Who knows when his ride is done, but at the end of the day, whenever that is, it’s always a pleasure and an honor to race the guy.”
Hagan said that although he and Force have taken issue with one another at times in their careers, he appreciates the opportunity to race alongside the mane he considers to be the best ever.
“We’ve had our tiffs and our tussles and calling each other out here and there, but when you sit back and (realize) you really got to race the guy… there are so many young kids who will come up in the sport who never get that opportunity, and we’ve had the chance to battle it out for championships. When you turn a win light on against that guy, you feel like you’ve done something.”
Matt Hagan credited his team for giving him a great car during Sunday’s win at Route 66 Raceway. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Tough competition makes Hagan savor every win
Hagan became the first two-time Funny Car winner of the 2024 season with the win on Sunday, and he said he has taken time to really appreciate his wins as he has gotten older, because he never knows which one will be his last.
“This is the toughest I’ve felt like, this class has been, since I can remember,” he said of his Funny Car competitors. “You go up there every run digging deep as a driver, trying to cut a light, trying to keep it in the groove, knowing that you’ve got to get a couple hundredths for your guys because that could be the difference in getting the next win light.”
With a stacked field of competitors, he said there is nobody who you can enter a matchup with thinking it is a guaranteed win.
“You used to have some cars and drivers who you’d say, ‘Alright. We’re supposed to beat this guy,'” he said. “That’s not the case anymore. Everybody that rolls up there truly has the opportunity to turn a win light on. Everybody has the same pieces. And all these guys are so smart that if you give them enough runs with these combinations, they’re going to be super competitive. It feels like Pro Stock at 335 miles per hour right now.”
With that parity comes a deeper appreciation of the wins, said Hagan, who earned six Wally’s last year, as well as the two so far this year.
“These don’t come very often. You’re lucky if you win one. You have to learn to enjoy these. They are very hard to come by so take a minute to enjoy it.”
