Matt Hagan honored by AARWBA in Indy

January 10

NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan, driver of the DieHard/Shelor Motor Mile Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing, was honored by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) in Indianapolis on Sunday after being named to the group’s prestigious 2011 All America Race Team in the Drag Racing category.

Hagan, at age 28, claimed his first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car crown in 2011 in only three years of full-time competition in the class, and became the second-youngest Funny Car champion in NHRA history. (Frank Hawley was the first, capturing the championship at age 26 in 1982, the year Hagan was born.) He was the first to break the 4-second barrier, by setting a 3.995-second national record, and established the fastest pass in NHRA history (to 1000 feet), of 322.27 mph. He is also the 13th different driver to win a Funny Car crown in the class' 38-year modern-era history.

The Christiansburg, Va., cattle farmer won twice in 2011, qualified No. 1 three times and finished runner-up two times. At the season finale in Pomona, Calif., he avenged his painful loss of the title to John Force last year when he upset his DSR teammate Jack Beckman in the quarterfinals and then outran two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals to score his first World Championship. He went on to win his second race of the season and fifth of his short career by posting a track-record performance of 4.009 seconds at 317.79 mph to hold off final-round opponent Robert Hight in the quickest side-by-side race in Funny Car history. Hight trailed with a 4.031/318.92.

The other members of the 42nd annual All America Team include NHRA Top Fuel champion Del Worsham, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards (Stock Car Racing), Dario Franchitti and Will Power (Open Wheel Racing), Scott Pruett/Memo Rojas and Chris Dyson/Guy Smith (Road Racing), Bryan Clauson and Kyle Larson (Short Track), Austin Dillon and Andrew Davis (Touring Series) and Josef Newgarden and Patrick Long (At Large). They received AARWBA’s coveted “Horsepower” trophy which symbolizes top performance in each category. AARWBA members across the country voted for two drivers in each category to make up the First Team.

“It is such an honor to be recognized by members of the media and to be voted into the All America Race Team by AARWBA members,” said Hagan. “To be included on a team with these champions from other major racing series in the U.S. is very humbling. This has been a whirlwind year for me and the DieHard/Shelor Motor Mile Dodge Funny Car team. We struggled early on, we kept our focus and came out on top. It’s great to be rewarded and I’m happy to share this honor with crew chief Tommy DeLago and the rest of the DSR crew.”

The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season kicks off for Hagan Feb. 9–12 with the 52nd Annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club (Calif.) Raceway at Pomona.