“First of all, Bob and Bobby Bode are doing a great job. That kid is doing a great job driving and I’m super proud of him. We need youngsters like that coming up in the sport. I hated to rain on his parade for his birthday weekend. That is drag racing though. I’m here to do a job and to win. It was so special for Dickie Venables (crew chief) to have his whole family here for the win, following his dad’s passing at the end of last year. Dick Venables is a huge part of Dickie and what he has been able to accomplish in his career. It’s so special for Dickie to have that inspiration from his dad. This race means so much to me because I won my first race here in 2010. I got in on a pedal job and won on a pedal job. To close it out at Houston Raceway Park with a win and honor Dickie and his dad means a lot. It is a sad, sad thing, but we’re going to end on a really good note. To be able to give Dickie and his family the trophy this weekend is massive. Dickie means so much to me and it’s so cool because racing is his life. To be able to come out of here with a win is huge. I’m excited that our Dodge Power Brokers Charger is running well. We’re the points leader and we’ve been to the final in four out of five races. We are making a statement this year. We got through a lot of heavy hitters today and there were no easy runs. All in all, it’s a really great weekend.”
- Earned No. 7 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.926 ET at 319.37 mph).
- Maintained No. 7 qualifying position from Q1. Hagan’s Q2 run on Saturday was a 6.732 ET at 100.30 mph.
- Secured No. 8 qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (3.924 ET at 329.34 mph).
- Advanced to Finals on Sunday:
- Round 1: 3.954 ET at 325.77 mph, defeated John Force (4.010 ET at 328.06 mph).
- Round 2: 3.933 ET at 326.87 mph, defeated Ron Capps (8.017 ET at 95.44 mph).
- Semifinal: 3.937 ET at 323.97 mph, defeated J.R. Todd (10.851 ET at 81.82 mph).
- Final: 3.982 ET at 326.63 mph, defeated Bobby Bode (4.046 ET at 282.95 mph).
- Currently leads the Funny Car championship standings with a 60-point advantage over Robert Hight.