Inside Line Promotions - TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2020) - Derek Hagar recorded his second straight weekend with a top-10 outing thanks to a charge from 14 th to eighth during the opening night of the Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360s.
The strong performance came against a field of 50-plus competitors last Thursday at East Bay Raceway Park, where Hagar drove for Terry Witherspoon.
"I felt really good about it," Hagar said. "We had a lot of speed halfway through the race until the end. I was able to run (Cory) Eliason down for seventh and on the last lap I got hung up by a lapped car to make a move. I was really looking forward to the weekend after our performance on Thursday."
Rain washed out the program on Friday and Thursday's point total determined the lineup for Saturday, putting Hagar on the pole of a heat race for the second time of the weekend. His runner-up result in the heat race - also for the second time of the weekend - locked him into the 13th starting position in the 40-lap main event.
"We were good, but we weren't as good as we were Thursday night," he said. "We maintained in the 11th or 12th position for the first half of the race. Then we drove into the top 10, but an unfortunate circumstance put me into the wall. It tore it up pretty bad."
Hagar was running in the top 10 when he was caught up in a crash that ended in a DNF. He was credited with a 19th-place finish.
"It was a good weekend," he said. "We had a good car all weekend. East Bay is a hard track to figure it out. We're still struggling a bit, but we were able to make the show both nights and we learned a lot of things. I want to thank Terry and his team for the opportunity."
Hagar will be off the next couple of weekends before piloting his Hagar Proctor Racing midget on March 7 during the Shamrock Classic at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill. The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series event marks his first midget race since earning a career-best finish during the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in January.
QUICK RESULTS -
Feb. 13 - East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. - Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 8 (14).
Feb. 15 - East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. - Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 19 (13).
SEASON STATS -
4 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT -
March 7 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill., for the Shamrock Classic with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Xtreme Race Graphics
Located in Marion, Ark., Xtreme Race Graphics creates custom graphics, banners and wraps. For more information, visit http://www.XtremeRaceGraphics.com .
"Dustin is a real good artist," Hagar said. "He has a real good imagination. If you want the car to look the best, I'd recommend Xtreme Race Graphics."
Hagar would like to thank B&D Towing and Recovery, Dynotech Performance, Summit Truck Group, Fragola Performance Systems, Killer Coatings, FK Rod Ends, Petra Construction, Southern Collision Centre, Administrative Consulting Services, Jeff's Heating and Cooling, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Hedger Brothers Ready Mix, Weld Wheels, DHR Suspension, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Wings Unlimited, Valvoline, J&J Auto Racing and Ti64 for their continued support.
The strong performance came against a field of 50-plus competitors last Thursday at East Bay Raceway Park, where Hagar drove for Terry Witherspoon.
Rain washed out the program on Friday and Thursday's point total determined the lineup for Saturday, putting Hagar on the pole of a heat race for the second time of the weekend. His runner-up result in the heat race - also for the second time of the weekend - locked him into the 13th starting position in the 40-lap main event.
"We were good, but we weren't as good as we were Thursday night," he said. "We maintained in the 11th or 12th position for the first half of the race. Then we drove into the top 10, but an unfortunate circumstance put me into the wall. It tore it up pretty bad."
Hagar was running in the top 10 when he was caught up in a crash that ended in a DNF. He was credited with a 19th-place finish.
"It was a good weekend," he said. "We had a good car all weekend. East Bay is a hard track to figure it out. We're still struggling a bit, but we were able to make the show both nights and we learned a lot of things. I want to thank Terry and his team for the opportunity."
Hagar will be off the next couple of weekends before piloting his Hagar Proctor Racing midget on March 7 during the Shamrock Classic at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill. The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series event marks his first midget race since earning a career-best finish during the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in January.
QUICK RESULTS -
Feb. 13 - East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. - Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 8 (14).
Feb. 15 - East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. - Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 19 (13).
SEASON STATS -
4 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT -
March 7 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill., for the Shamrock Classic with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Xtreme Race Graphics
Located in Marion, Ark., Xtreme Race Graphics creates custom graphics, banners and wraps. For more information, visit http://www.XtremeRaceGraphics.com .
"Dustin is a real good artist," Hagar said. "He has a real good imagination. If you want the car to look the best, I'd recommend Xtreme Race Graphics."
Hagar would like to thank B&D Towing and Recovery, Dynotech Performance, Summit Truck Group, Fragola Performance Systems, Killer Coatings, FK Rod Ends, Petra Construction, Southern Collision Centre, Administrative Consulting Services, Jeff's Heating and Cooling, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Hedger Brothers Ready Mix, Weld Wheels, DHR Suspension, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Wings Unlimited, Valvoline, J&J Auto Racing and Ti64 for their continued support.
