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HARRISBURG, Ark. (May 29, 2023) – Derek Hagar is undefeated through his first four starts of the 2023 season.
Hagar won all three rounds of the opening weekend for the USCS Series Speedweek last weekend, scoring victories on Friday at Lexington 104 Speedway in Lexington, Ark.; on Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.; and on Sunday at Old No. 1 Speedway.
“I definitely haven’t had this strong of a start to a season,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve won four in a row ever.
“I was hoping to get one or two wins this weekend to help us try to do the rest of Speedweek. I know we’re capable of doing it, but things have to fall your way with pill draws and things like that. Every night things fell our way. We weren’t the best on points. We only made the dash two nights and we were the last driver in those nights, but we made it work.”
The busy weekend began on Friday at Lexington 104 Speedway, where Hagar maneuvered from third to second place in both a heat race and the dash to line up on the outside of the front row in the main event.
“In the heat race and the dash Dale (Howard) was quick in clean air,” he said. “I told Kenny (Conrad) while we were getting ready for the feature that if I didn’t beat him into turn one it was game over until we got to traffic. He had a better launch than I did and half slid turn one. I put four wheels in the fluff and never lifted and drove around him. We led the rest of the way.”
The team ventured to Riverside International Speedway on Saturday. Hagar hustled from fifth to third place in a heat race. He missed a spot in the dash by only one position, lining him up seventh in the feature.
“I was idling around under caution and was looking at the bottom,” he said. “Mother Nature was playing tricks on us with a steady trickle, which kept the moisture in the track longer than it normally does. We had a bottom in turns one and two, but it was slick everywhere else up to the cushion. I was playing in my head what everyone was going to do and it played into my hands. I figured people would stand on the gas and slide up. I hugged the infield tire and went seventh to third. I ran third for a minute. We had a caution and I got by Marshall (Skinner) a couple of laps after the caution. I was chasing Landon Crawley and he got into a couple of lapped cars and spun. The new rule is that even if you keep it going they send you to the back. We inherited the lead and pulled away after that. We had a couple of close encounters with the backstretch wall, but otherwise it was good.”
The weekend concluded on Sunday at Old No. 1 Speedway. Hagar won a heat race from the pole position before he gained two spots in the dash to finish fourth. He continued to march forward in the A Main from the fourth starting spot.
“We made some big adjustments after the dash to get the car where we wanted it for the feature,” he said. “We got to second really early. We got into lapped traffic pretty heavy. I was able to momentum through the slick and get by Dale on Lap 11 or Lap 12. We had a caution around halfway and I was trying to find where the track was going to take rubber. When you’re leading it’s in your mind if you’re in the right spot. Dale stuck with me, but once we got back to traffic our car was so good it could go wherever we needed to go.”
Hagar plans to tackle the remainder of the Speedweek with races this Thursday at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala.; Friday at Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Saturday at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 26 – Lexington 104 Speedway in Lexington, Ark. – Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 2 (3); Feature: 1 (2).
May 27 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 1 (7).
May 28 – Old No. 1 Speedway in Harrisburg, Ark. – Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 4 (6); Feature: 1 (4).
SEASON STATS –
4 races, 4 wins, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala.; Friday at Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Saturday at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss., with the USCS Series Speedweek
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – AR Dyno Specialty
AR Dyno Specialty is a chassis dyno based in Marion, Ark. For more information, visit http://www.Facebook.com/AR.DynoSpecialty .
“A.G. Rains and AR Dyno Specialty got us tuned up to where this thing runs top notch,” Hagar said. “We were able to pick up three straight wins with his technology and knowledge to help us to get this thing running well.”
Hagar would like to thank Ameri-Panel, J&J Auto Racing, B & D Towing and Recovery, FK Rod Ends, Dynotech Performance Race Engines, A.M.P., Fragola Performance Systems, Administrative Consulting Services, Killer Coatings, Beazt Composites, Xtreme Race Graphics, Southern Collision Centre, AR Dyno Specialty, Jeff’s Heating and Cooling, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Weld Wheels, DHR Suspension, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Valvoline, Ti64 and Builtwiser Wings for their continued support.