Denver: Matt Hagan preview

ROOKIE CONTENDER HAGAN WILL SEE 'RED' IN DENVER

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (July 8, 2009) - NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year contender Matt Hagan will be seeing red this weekend, as Don Schumacher Racing introduces a bright-red design on the shelor.com Dodge Funny Car he drives at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. The scheme will also feature Gates Belts and Hose prominently on the rear wing panel to show the team's appreciation of the Denver-based company's longtime support of DSR in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Hagan, new to DSR this season, will race at the mile-high Bandimere Speedway for the first time in his short rookie career as he looks to move up in the standings. He's tied with Cruz Pedregon in 10th.

"I've never been to Bandimere before," said the 26-year-old Angus Cattle farmer in Christiansburg, Va., "but we're going to treat it like any other race and try to put this bright-red shelor.com Dodge in the winner's circle, especially for Gates Belt and Hose, who have been so supportive of this team for so long.

"Tommy (DeLago, crew chief) has been at Bandimere several times, and I know we have a good car, so I have no worries. Hopefully, we'll do well. We have to get this monkey off our backs this weekend and quit losing these close races," he said, referring to his early exit at the last event in Norwalk, Ohio, where he lost by inches to Bob Tasca in the opening round of eliminations.

"They say racing in Denver is definitely a little different. I'm looking forward to seeing how that's going to affect my driving and breathing," said the very fit Hagan, who has reached one final round this season. "But I don't think I have any issues to really worry about. I just have to go up there, focus and do better.

"We need to have a little bit of luck come our way, but I also know we have to create some of our own luck, and if that means trying to cut a better light or Tommy trying to make it run a little better than he thinks it can run, then that's what we're going to have to do.

"The shelor.com crew is going to have to be flawless, I'm going to have to be flawless and Tommy's going to have to make it run as fast as he possibly can. And, instead of waiting for things to turn around, we're going to have to make that happen ourselves."

-credit: dsr