NHRA: Bringing Indy Back To What It Should Be

Matt Hagan on track in his Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat. (NHRA photo)

At the end of most interviews, three-time NHRA Funny Cars World Champion Matt Hagan greets the crowd and hopes his performance in his Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat was a good show for the fans.

Hagan, currently second overall, has shown he’s not afraid to turn up the heat on the drag strip and fight for victory – he has three wins so far this season.

However, even Hagan will be challenged in the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday, September 4th.

Part of the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA US Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the novel race, which will feature eight of the sport’s top funny car racers, will add even more pressure to the weekend for the racers involved.

“As a competitor, it used to be about driving the race car and how fast it would go and what it would do, but it’s really about the person next to me and being able to race,” Hagan said. “It does it for me.”

It looks like Funny Car points leader Robert Hight is in position to make the first callout. Then, depending on who he picks as his opponent, defending champion Ron Capps and Hagan would be next in line to pick a competitor.

Whether it’s an advantage or not is hard to say.

“Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t believe they could beat one of these cars,” Hight said. “It’s just not what it is.”

The remaining lineup for the All-Star Callout includes Cruz Pedregon, John Force, Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria and defending US Nationals Champion Tim Wilkerson. The rider who makes it through the stacked field will earn $80,000, but for many of the contestants, the winner’s check isn’t the first thought.

“Money is a bonus at the end of the day,” Pedregon said. “None of us can spend the money upfront.”

Still, as a team owner of Cruz Pedregon Racing, the money is worth mentioning. When he claims event victory, he concedes that most of the winner’s check would flow through his crew to support their hard work.

As Hagan said, “Money is important, but we just want to race.”

The riders consider it a privilege to be part of the All-Star format, even as they balance their mental preparation for the tough competition with their focus on the US Nationals themselves.

“It made the whole Indy weekend back to what it was supposed to be,” said Capps.

He recalled the “Big Bud Shootout” that used to take place at the US Nationals in Indianapolis, which started in 1982 and ran through 2001, adding that it used to be “the deal” in drag racing. Seeing the shootout style make its way back to the NHRA is exciting for Capps, who had a few wins of his own in the late 1990s at the Big Bud Shootout.

“The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up just thinking about it because it’s going to be a lot of money and it’s going to be fun to see who picks who,” Capps said.

The weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will be a long one, with Funny Car qualifying and competition from September 2nd to 5th.

But with the All-Star Callout taking place the day before the US Nationals final eliminations, DeJoria sees Sunday’s callout as a chance to gain momentum through Monday.

“Indy itself is exhausting at times,” DeJoria said. “Winning something like this as a team before the actual race on Monday is so motivating.”

After erasing all possible scenarios already running through their minds, the eight Funny Car drivers start Friday night’s qualifying session with a clean sheet.

However, Saturday’s callout announcements will mark the start of an inevitable rivalry among racers and a good old-fashioned show for fans.