EPPING, NH – May 29, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Already riding a massive wave of momentum after back-to-back victories, reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan has plenty of reasons to feel great heading into this weekend’s 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Hagan’s four wins in Epping are the most for any NHRA driver at the historic track, and each victory has been accompanied by his New England Dragway good luck charm in the form of a handlebar mustache.
The Funny Car points leader will have the mustache this weekend in Epping, along with an 11,000-horsepower Rush Truck Centers Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat that has been on point the last two races. Hagan and his team have won back-to-back races in Charlotte and Chicago, vaulting him atop a loaded Funny Car category and putting him in a strong position to try and win three straight races – and a fifth at Epping – for the first time in his standout career.
“We’ve won four times (in Epping) and had a (mustache) four times there. I didn’t do it last year and it bit me in the (butt),” Hagan said. “Coming off of back-to-back wins is big momentum for Epping. Epping has been very kind to me, having won four races there. I think I’ll grow the handlebar mustache again and try to bring that juju back. It’s so tough to win one race in a nitro Funny Car. To win back-to-back races is a massive feat, so to be able to win three in a row would be pretty awesome. We’re rolling into the weekend with a lot of data to go off of and positive vibes.”
Last year, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) won the New England Nationals, though the race finished in Bristol the following week due to weather. This year’s race will be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations at 1 and 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, and also includes the return of Pro Stock to the event. It is the seventh of 20 races in 2024, and Hagan and his team, led by longtime crew chief Dickie Venables, are rolling, having found their groove in Charlotte.
He went to the final quad at the four-wide race in Las Vegas the event before and was also the Pomona runner-up to John Force, putting together a strong recent run. Hagan and company have performed well on raceday in all conditions, which bodes well for a team trying to win their fifth Funny Car world championship.
Hagan picked up his milestone 50th career win in Charlotte and added his 51st in Chicago, but a third straight victory…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motor Sports NewsWire…