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2013 NHRA: Matt Hagan NHRA Arizona Nationals Qualifying Report: No. 2
Matt Hagan wasn't riding a bull on Saturday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway, but his third qualifying run was definitely a ride he could've scored well on.
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At the hit of the throttle, Hagan's Mopar/Rocky Boots Funny Car went up in tire smoke and an oil line came loose. Hagan's Goodyear tires ran over the oil and he went sashaying left and right before Hagan regained control and was able to get his car straight.
"We puked oil everywhere on the racetrack and I was lucky I didn't cram it into the wall," Hagan said. "I've never ridden a bull but it's got to be close to that feeling."
But that wasn't the ride Hagan was most proud of this weekend. In Friday night's second qualifying session in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, crew chief Dickie Venables tuned Hagan's Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.062-second pass at 311.20 mph, placing him second in the 16-car field.
"That felt really good," Hagan recalled. "I think that was a big morale booster for our whole team to know that we can go up there and run fast when we need to.
"Dickie is making the right calls and the car is responding well. That last lap (Saturday) we were a little bit too aggressive but I think we have a good baseline for tomorrow."
Hagan will face Phil Burkart on Sunday for the first round of eliminations at Firebird International Raceway.
"We still have a long way to go and a lot to prove to a lot of people and ourselves," he said. "I think we take it one step at a time and we are definitely moving forward."
The following are Hagan's qualifying results and other notes regarding the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
FUNNY CAR
No. 1 qualifier: Johnny Gray (DSR) 4.034 sec., 313.80 mph
Matt Hagan, Mopar/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 2
Sunday's first-round opponent: Phil Burkhart
FRIDAY
Session 1: 4.142 sec., 293.15 mph
Session 2: 4.062, 311.20
SATURDAY
Session 3: 12.082/71.41
Session 4: 4.319, 212.49
THIS WEEK AT FIREBIRD
WHAT: 29th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals
WHERE: Firebird International Raceway, south of Phoenix NITRO SCHEDULE:
Sunday: Championship eliminations, 11:00 a.m.
ON ESPN2:
Sunday: Qualifying, 1 a.m., 8 a.m. (ET)
Sunday: Championship eliminations, 8 p.m. (ET)
PaddockTalk Perspective
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