We had a really great weekend! Indy 2020

Qualified: No. 5 (3.919 E.T. at 328.54 MPH)

The Results:
E1: 3.942 E.T. at 326.63 MPH defeated Paul Lee 4.737 E.T. at 169.13 MPH
E2: 3.939 E.T. at 327.03 MPH defeated Bob Tasca III 3.940 E.T. at 328.46 MPH
E3: 4.132 E.T. at 273.05 MPH defeated by J.R. Todd 3.946 E.T. at 327.03 MPH

Race Recap:
Matt Hagan had already taken ownership of a Wally trophy during the U.S. Nationals race weekend before Sunday’s elimination rounds had even gotten underway. On Saturday evening, he and Jack Beckman squared off in the rescheduled, rain-delayed Indy 2 final round where Hagan raced to victory to earn win No. 350 for DSR. The milestone triumph was made all the more special as he was able to deliver it to team owner Don Schumacher on the 50thanniversary of Schumacher’s first NHRA national event victory which also occurred at the historic Indianapolis venue.
 
By qualifying fifth for Sunday’s Funny Car field, Hagan was in prime position to double-up on the hardware. He drew Paul Lee in round one and charged into the quarterfinals with a 3.942 E.T. to defeat Lee’s tire-smoker. Hagan then earned the holeshot victory over Bob Tasca III, posting a 3.939 E.T. behind the wheel of the red-hot Hellcat Redeye versus his opponent’s solid 3.940. In the semifinals, Hagan once again was out of the gate first. He and his opponent, J.R. Todd, ran side-by-side down the track until Hagan’s machine got loose just before reaching the finish line, and Todd was able to pull ahead for the win.
 
Hagan started the race weekend occupying the No. 3 spot on the Funny Car leaderboard, but his Saturday night win combined with a semifinal appearance on Sunday propelled him up to second in points.

Quotable:
“We had a really great weekend. It was a great points weekend for this Mopar Dodge SRT Hellcat team by winning that race on Saturday night. We covered a lot of ground. We brought home another trophy for DSR. A milestone trophy, win No. 350. This Hellcat race car is running great. I’m hating to leave Indy, we did so well here. We’ve got great data, it’s hard to want to leave. We’re going rounds and turning on win lights. Our team and Beckman are throwing down and battling it out, and it’s going to be a fight all the way to the end and that’s what I love. I love being a part of that. I’m really excited to try and bring it home for Mopar. Let’s keep winning races.”

Matt Hagan's Saturday Funny Car win carries DSR to record 350 team victories

Don Schumacher Racing further cemented its position as one of motorsports’ elite teams when Matt Hagan delivered win No. 350 on Saturday with his Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals victory at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals.

At the 1970 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Don Schumacher raced to his first NHRA national event victory, collecting win No. 1 for what would eventually become the drag racing powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing. Today, at the 2020 Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals, he celebrated his team’s 350th national event win on the 50th anniversary of his Indianapolis triumph.

Following the conclusion of the third and final round of qualifying for Sunday’s elimination rounds, Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan battled it out in the rescheduled NHRA Summernationals (Indy 2) July 19th final round, with Matt Hagan emerging the victor. Hagan rocketed down the track in 3.919 seconds at 328.54-mph behind the wheel of the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to deliver win No. 350 for NHRA’s winningest team. The Brownsburg, Ind.-based organization is one of a very small handful of teams in motorsports to achieve the landmark triumphant accomplishment. Other domestic motorsports titans who have earned more than 300 race wins include Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports. After DSR, NHRA’s next winningest team, John Force Racing, lists 280 race wins.

“It’s hard for me to even comprehend the team having that many wins. I’m just amazed at the accomplishments that my teams and team members have made over the last 22 years,” said Schumacher of the milestone victory that further cemented DSR’s position as one of the motorsports industry’s most elite teams.

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