Inside Line Promotions
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (Aug. 4, 2015) – Derek Hagar put together a standout night on Saturday at Riverside International Speedway during the Cody Burks Memorial.
Hagar led the distance of the 360ci feature to claim his sixth win of the season and he charged from 26th to second place during the 305ci main event.
“It’s pretty special,” he said. “It was a good race and a good cause with all the proceeds going to a mechanics scholarship. They had some silent auctions and donations. They have a scholarship fund in the name of Cody Burks for someone who wants to go to college for mechanics. It was really neat to be a part of.”
Hagar opened the event by maneuvering from fifth to second place during his heat race, which gave him the pole position for the 20-lap feature as the high-points driver.
“I took the lead on the start and led the whole race,” he said. “I think it went green until the first caution around Lap 14. We had a couple of cautions and after each restart I got the threat of a slide job, but we had momentum on the top. We had a green-white-checkered finish and somebody tried to throw a slider, but I had the momentum built up. We had a dominant car again and it showed Saturday night.”
The night wasn’t as smooth in the 305ci class for Hagar, who flipped during his heat race in the Bobby Jones owned entry. The damage was too much to overcome for the rest of the night, but a new opportunity arose for Hagar.
“A guy I do some shocks for had been having some troubles and asked if I’d get in the car to run the feature,” he said. “I made sure the seat fit and all that stuff. We made some minor changes. Then I almost got upside down again on Lap 2 or 3. Going down the front straightaway someone got sideways and hit us in the right rear.”
The team replaced the tire in the work area and once again Hagar started at the back of the field for the remainder of the main event.
“I made smart passes and had to make my moves wisely because it’s a beginner class,” he said. “We had to do it smart. If we got the opportunity we had to get it done quickly. The cautions fell at the right spot. At the end we had a couple of green-white-checkered attempts and I tried to throw a slider on the leader, but couldn’t get it to stick. The guy who owned the car was impressed and it gave him a boost of confidence in his car. It ended up being a good night.”
Hagar’s second-place result was his 17th top five of the season.
He is slated to take this weekend off before resuming action on Aug. 14 at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., and Aug. 15 at Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., with the USCS.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 1 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (360 sprint) – Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 1 (1).
Aug. 1 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (305 sprint) – Heat race: DNF (2); Feature: 2 (26).
SEASON STATS –
28 races, 6 wins, 17 top fives, 20 top 10s, 20 top 15s, 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Aug. 14 at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., and Aug. 15 at Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., with the USCS
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, J&J Auto Racing, Xtreme Race Graphics, 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.