Resurging Aaron's Dream Machine team returns to where Hagan, DeLago rocked NHRA Funny Car world with 3.995 run

April 10

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (April 10, 2012) - Matt Hagan and his Aaron's Dream Machine Funny Car team put the wraps on their NHRA world championship season last week when Hagan flew into Brownsburg Thursday for a special night that included dinner with the team.

It capped a long week and what has been a long start to the season despite having completed only four of 23 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.

The team won for the first time this season in an opening round on April 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Despite losing in the next round, Hagan was pleased the Aaron's team got over the hump in its Dodge Charger R/T.

But DeLago opted to remain at Las Vegas for testing the following Monday and Hagan was very pleased with the results.

"Our Aaron's Dream Machine was phenomenal. It was just a shame it was a day too late.

"Tommy rewired the car and changed some stuff. It might have had an ignition issue so he and our crew changed several components.

"We made four really nice laps, a couple we shut off just past half-track and still ran 4.20 (seconds). Heck, it had been taking us that long on full runs. It started to feel like our old car. There's life in there again."

Heading back to Charlotte Motor Speedway's zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., this weekend is just where the Don Schumacher Racing needs to be to gather further momentum.

The last time the team was at the track it became the first and only Funny Car to complete a 1,000-foot run in less than four seconds and also became the only Funny Car to run more than 322 mph.

On Sept., 17, 2011, Hagan pushed DeLago's tune-up to a time of 3.995 seconds to win the No. 1 qualifying position with an NHRA national record en route to winning the team's first of two event titles over the last six events.

HAGAN AT zMAX: Wins (1), Fall 2011; runner-ups (1), Spring 2009

FOUR-WIDE FOUR-MAT
The fifth of 23 events on the Full Throttle tour is the most unique of the season.

zMAX is the only dragstrip with four racing lanes and each lane will be used for qualifying sessions (Friday and Saturday) and championship eliminations on Sunday.

The 16-car eliminations ladder in each of the three major professional categories will match-up as follows: Race A (qualifiers 1, 8, 9, 16), Race B (qualifiers 4, 5, 12, 13), Race C (qualifiers 2, 7, 10, 15) and Race D (qualifiers 3, 6, 11, 14).

Lane choice for eliminations goes to the driver with the quickest E.T., then the second-quickest, and so on.

The first two drivers in each elimination heat to cross the finish line advance to the second round and final; In the final round, teams will finish in the order they cross the finish line (barring any red-light starts), with winner, runner-up and two semifinalists in that order.

FULL THROTTLE SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY: Qualifying, 2, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY: Qualifying, Noon, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY: Eliminations, Noon

ESPN2 SCHEDULE:
Saturday: 5 p.m. (ET)
Sunday: 7 p.m. (ET)