Hagar impresses during Flip Flop 50 weekend at Riverside International Speedway
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Derek Hagar earned his 19 th triumph of the season and a pair of Hard Charger Awards during a strong weekend at Riverside International Speedway.
Hagar swept the 305ci winged sprint car program, guiding the McCord Farms No. 42 to wins in a heat race and the pole scramble on Friday before capturing the A Main on Saturday.
"Mr. McCord puts together a really nice car that is capable of winning every time it hits the track," he said. "We had a good start in our heat race and won it. We started on the pole of the scramble and won it. That put us on the pole for the feature Saturday night and we won it. The car is phenomenal and that made it easy to drive."
A third-place result in a USCS Series heat race on Friday sent Hagar into a B Main on Saturday. He finished second in the consolation race to advance into the 17 th starting spot in the first feature of the Flip Flop 50.
"We rolled around the bottom for a while and made it work," he said. "Every time I got good momentum going a caution would come out. We finally got a long green-flag run. I moved to the top and passed a couple of cars and moved back to the bottom to get a few more. With a couple of laps to go I got by Terry Gray through the middle in turns three and four and closed in on Landon Crawley for second. I wish we got a late caution because I think we had something for the top two, but we ran out of laps."
Hagar's run from 17 th to third featured the most positions gained.
The second main event was inverted based on the finishing order from the first feature, meaning Hagar had to start on the inside of the 10 th row. Once again, he rallied through the field to score a podium - this time recording a runner-up result.
"We rolled the bottom and passed cars until I could get a clear run on Sammy (Swindell)," he said. "He missed the bottom and I got by him. Then I moved to the top. On Lap 8 or Lap 9 we had a red flag with three guys in front crashing and I was in fifth. The track had taken rubber. We ran behind Chase Howard the rest of the race. The last two laps his right rear tire started coming apart and I could feel my car vibrating. I was hoping I could hold on and his tire would as well because that was his first 360 sprint car win. It was cool to see him get that first win."
The rally from 19 th to second produced another Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.
Hagar plans to return to Riverside International Speedway this Saturday for a 305 race.
QUICK RESULTS -
Oct. 13 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (360 sprint car) - Heat race: 3 (3).
Oct. 13 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (305 sprint car) - Heat race: 1 (4); Pole scramble: 1 (1).
Oct. 14 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (360 sprint car) - B Main: 2 (1); Feature #1: 3 (17); Feature #2: 2 (19).
Oct. 14 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (305 sprint car) - Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS -
29 races, 19 wins, 26 top fives, 26 top 10s, 28 top 15s, 29 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
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"B & D Towing supports racing," Hagar said. "They can help anyone in the Memphis area. For anyone who needs a hand, B & D is recommended to save the day."
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.
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