7/7/2015
Inside Line Promotions
Hagar Nets Two More Runner-Up Results During Red, White and Blue Tour
(Photo by Brandon Young Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – CALIFORNIA, Mo. (July 7, 2015) – Derek Hagar added two more runner-up finishes last weekend to continue his recent string of impressive results.
Hagar has now earned 10 podium finishes in his last 13 races, including six second-place results.
“They need to be wins, but at least we’re staying consistent and keeping everything afloat,” he said. “It’s a lot better than not being in the top five. Second is not bad, but we want to get those wins. We let two of them get away from us last weekend.”
With his originally scheduled races being rained out all weekend, Hagar headed to Missouri for the ASCS Warrior Region’s Tiger Towing Red, White and Blue Tour beginning on Friday at Callaway Raceway in Fulton, where he made his debut.
Hagar won his heat race from the pole position to lock into the feature redraw, where he pulled the second-highest number – seven – to start the 25-lap feature on the inside of the fourth row.
“The class before us chopped up the bottom and got it real heavy and choppy,” he said. “I went down there on the first lap and the car biked up. We rode it up the hill and saved it. I got up to third place pretty quickly. I was going through the middle of the corner and cutting the corner off to exit on the bottom. I would get a really good run. I passed Jack Dover and Josh Fisher at the same time.”
Hagar took the lead on Lap 10 and led for three laps.
“Where I was running was going away,” he said. “I tried to move it down a little bit to get in some moisture. The car biked up and I about turned it over, which let Dover get back by me. I tried a couple of things on some restarts, but he started inching away from me on the bottom so we had to settle for second.”
Hagar debuted at Randolph County Raceway in Moberly on Saturday by charging from fifth to second place during a heat race. That advanced him into the feature redraw, where he pulled the No. 6 to start the main event on the outside of the third row.
“The guy who was supposed to start fourth scratched so it put us up a row,” he said. “On the initial start the guys on the front row were chugging us down. I moved to the outside of the guy in second to take the lead at the flag stand. I guess they didn’t like that start so they called it back and on the next start they moved in my line. I slid both of them going into turn one to take the lead.”
Hagar led most of the race until a late-race restart.
“It was the longest race I’ve ever been in,” he said. “I felt like I led 35 laps in a 25-lap race. We had a caution with four or five laps to go and they turned the lights out as soon as we got down the back straightaway. I got a heck of a restart and put five or six car lengths on second place. They had a red a couple laps later and they got on me on the RACEceiver and told me I couldn’t start until I was in turn four. Randy Martin laid back and got a run on me and got around me on the outside.”
Hagar ended with a second-place finish for the second straight night and fourth time in five races.
The weekend wrapped up on Sunday at Double X Speedway. Hagar maneuvered from fifth to second during a heat race to once again lock himself into the feature redraw, where he pulled the highest number – eight – to start on the outside of the fourth row.
“The race track got bone slick,” he said. “I started running the top and got up to third by Lap 5 or 6. We were lapping Randy and he’d been running the bottom. Dover and (Jonathan) Cornell had just got by him on the outside. I was going around him and he went to the middle and turned right. I jumped his right rear and went off the track.”
The incident brought out a caution and forced Hagar to restart at the back of the field. He then rallied from 18th to an eighth-place finish.
Hagar, who finished second in the Tiger Towing Red, White and Blue Tour standings, returns to action with a tripleheader this weekend. He will compete on Thursday at Crowley’s Ridge Raceway in Paragould, Ark., and Friday at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., with the USCS Series as well as Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 3 – Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Mo. – Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (7).
July 4 – Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Mo. – Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 2 (6).
July 5 – Double X Speedway in California, Mo. – Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 8 (8).
SEASON STATS –
21 races, 4 wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s, 15 top 15s, 18 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Crowley’s Ridge Raceway in Paragould, Ark., and Friday at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., with the USCS Series and Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Fragola Performance Systems
Housed in Southington, Conn., Fragola Performance Systems manufactures fittings, lines and hoses for the racing industry. For more information, visit http://www.FragolaPerformanceSystems.com.
“Fragola Performance Systems are all in all a good fitting and line manufacturer,” Hagar said. “They make really good lightweight hose. I prefer them over anybody else as far as a good pressure hose.”
Hagar would also like to thank Dynotech Performance, DHR Suspension, Xtreme Race Graphics, J&J Auto Racing, FSR Radiators, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Hinchman Racewear, Wings Unlimited, FK Rod Ends, R.E. Enterprises, Ti64 and B&D Towing for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller