Inside Line Promotions
– WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (April 22, 2014) – When Derek Hagar wants to give the fans a good show, he goes all out.
With cameras rolling for a potential television show about the racing in the area, Hagar crashed, jumped and charged to his fourth victory of the season last Saturday during the season opener at Riverside International Speedway.
“It was pretty exciting,” he said. “They were doing the video deal for the reality show. They got some good footage and we made it pretty exciting for the fans. I think they got enough excitement and drama that they have a good leg to stand on.”
Hagar opened the night by drawing a high number, which started him on the outside of the fourth row for his heat race. However, he was bumped up one row prior to the start because another driver elected to start at the back.
“It was one of those heat races that seemed like it would never get started,” he said.
Hagar collided with another driver who spun on the second attempt at a start. The contact broke the left front radius rod on Hagar’s sprint car, which was put on the hook and hauled into the work area. The team made the necessary repairs and Hagar restarted the race fourth.
“We tried to start four times after that before we finally got a good start,” he said. “It was ridiculous.”
Hagar maneuvered into the lead during the first half of the heat race and he cruised to the victory, which gave him the most points of any driver. That earned him the pole for the 20-lap main event.
After the initial start of the feature was called back, Hagar got the jump the next time and he began to set sail.
“I never really looked back from there,” he said. “We had a real good car.”
Just after the midpoint of the feature disaster nearly struck as Hagar raced through traffic. As he was about to drive around another competitor entering turn one, that driver appeared to move up. Hagar darted to the bottom, but so did the driver who was about to be lapped.
“I jumped his left rear tire,” Hagar said. “I pretty much jumped over the front of his car. The car bounced pretty hard. I probably went three feet in the air. How I didn’t flip I don’t know. We stayed green.”
Hagar managed to hang onto the car and despite the right side panel of the top wing being nearly ripped off and the drag link and front axle being bent, he powered to his fourth victory in six races this season.
“It’s our hometown track,” he said. “We live five minutes from there. Any time you can make the fans happy you’re doing something right.”
Hagar is scheduled to compete at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., this Saturday. He claimed the season-opening race at the bullring on April 5.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 19 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 1 (6); Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS –
6 races, 4 wins, 5 top fives, 5 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
VIDEO –
Ride along with Hagar during his victory at I-30 Speedway on April 5 thanks to this video by Jones Sports Media: http://youtu.be/JDYTr1M4KjM
APPAREL –
Hagar has t-shirts, hats and koozies available for sale at his race trailer at every race he competes at. To see his schedule, visit http://www.DerekHagar.com/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – FSR Radiators
Located in Gallaway, Tenn., FSR Radiators has been supplying high-performance, all-aluminum radiators to the racing community for many years. For more information, visit http://www.FSRProducts.com.
“FSR Radiators make the best radiators to keep your motor as cool as it possibly can be,” Hagar said. “I’d definitely recommend them to any racer.”
Hagar would also like to thank R.E. Enterprises, J&J Auto Racing, Xtreme Race Graphics, DynoTech Performance, Fragola Performance Systems, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Hinchman Racewear, FK Rod Ends and Ti64 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 and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com