by Inside Line Promotions
MARION, Ark. | Nov. 18, 2013 – Derek Hagar just finished a breakout campaign as one of the top talents in sprint car racing.
Hagar captured 10 feature victories – nearly twice as many as he had ever recorded in a single season – en route to his first two career championships. Hagar garnered the USCS Outlaw Thunder National title as well as the USCS Southern Thunder championship.
“When we started out the year we weren’t worried about a points championship,” he said. “I kinda got forced into it with the first two wins of the year. However, getting the two championships helps build our resume. We accomplished a lot this year. We went out and did what we needed to do.
“The biggest thing that stands out is the wins we got this year. There was a lot of good racing and a lot of good times. It was by far our best year we’ve ever had.”
Hagar won the first two USCS races of the season and he said a Speedweek race on May 26 at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., was a signature moment.
“Me and Tim Crawley raced pretty hard,” he said. “I actually led a portion of the race and on a restart Tim slid me and the guy running second. He ran off and we got in lapped traffic. I slid him going to the white flag and won the race. To beat Tim Crawley like that is pretty enjoyable and a pretty big deal. He’s tough to beat.”
As impressive as the victories were, Hagar’s top-10 streak was unbelievable. He finished inside the top 10 in his first 39 races and ended the season with 45 top 10s in 48 races.
Hagar said the team won’t run for a championship with any series or track next season. Instead, he will pick and choose approximately 50 races across the Midwest, South and East.
“As of right now we’re going to start off in Florida and run the 360 deal down there,” he said. “Other than that, next year we’ll run wherever we want to run and not be tied down in points to a certain series.”
And the goal is simple.
“I’m thinking next year 15 to 20 wins,” he said. “We had a couple of them taken away from us this year. We ran out of fuel one time and tires, just stupid stuff that happened that normally doesn’t happen. I don’t see why we can’t be at 15 to 20 wins next year and hopefully win a couple of ASCS shows.
“However, the success I had this season and the success we will earn next season isn’t possible without the help of all the partners on this team. I want to thank them for the support and I look forward to representing them in Victory Lane a lot next season.”
SEASON STATS –
48 races, 10 wins, 31 top fives, 45 top 10s, 46 top 15s, 47 top 20s
0 comments:
Post a Comment