On more than one occasion, Funny Car driver Matt Hagan has talked about how his crew chief Tommy DeLago swings for the fences.

Saturday night, DeLago hit a home run.

Hagan blazed the Don Schumacher Racing Diehard Dodge to a track record time of 4.039 seconds at 277.89 mph to grab the provisional pole at the U.S. Nationals.

On more than one occasion, Funny Car driver Matt Hagan has talked about how his crew chief Tommy DeLago swings for the fences.

Saturday night, DeLago hit a home run.

Hagan blazed the Don Schumacher Racing Diehard Dodge to a track record time of 4.039 seconds at 277.89 mph to grab the provisional pole at the U.S. Nationals.

“Wow what a run,” Hagan said. “You know Tommy DeLago really knows how to tune these race cars up. He said if it makes it past 60 foot it is going to haul the mail. We pulled the belts down tight in there and it really left hard and I got somewhat of a vibration in there. I thought, man it is really going because it blurred my vision a little bit. I could see the groove pretty good, but it felt like it was getting towards the wall to me and I clicked it off a little early. Tommy thought the car might have been on a 4 flat run and it’s right there. We know what we need to do and I guess we didn’t show all of our cards.”

Hagan set the NHRA national Funny Car elapsed time record at 4.022 seconds during eliminations at the United Association Route 66 Nationals in Chicago in June. He has qualified on the pole twice this year at Gainesville, Fla., and Denver.

“This was just a great run Saturday night,” Hagan said. “The guys are doing a phenomenal job. The guys putting the car together this year have been flawless.”

Hagan, who is fourth in the points standings, did admit he would love to be the first Funny Car driver to make a 3-second pass at 1,000 feet.

“It would be huge,” Hagan said. “That is what we are all out here aiming to do, to lay that 3 number down. I think it is going to happen before the year is up. I know when we set the record, we looked at it and we were right there with it. I’m not promising anything, but if the conditions come around this fall everybody is going to see some 3 laps. I think the best times to do it here (at the U.S. Nationals) are already over.”

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