Sometimes, you just know you are bound for greatness.

Babe Ruth knew it when he called his home run shot during a game at Wrigley Field in 1932. Joe Namath knew it when he predicted a victory during the 1969 Super Bowl. And Mohammad Ali knew it when he offered up to reporters exactly what round he was going to knock out Sonny Liston in 1965.

On Monday, Matt Hagan joined that list at the biggest race of them all - the U.S. Nationals.

Coming into the 62nd edition of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway, Hagan admitted that, as soon as he walked onto the property, he knew that this was going to be his weekend. Just a few days later, Hagan made good on that guarantee.

Hagan took the No. 1 spot on Friday and then went four big rounds on Monday at the most prestigious race on the NHRA Mello Yello circuit, ending with a victory over Del Worsham for his first-ever U.S. Nationals trophy.

“I was afraid to say anything to anybody all weekend long, but sometimes you just get to a place and you know you are going to win that race,” said Hagan, collecting his 21st career Funny Car victory. “I don’t know what it is, but I just had that feeling. I just felt good about it all weekend long and I could see it in my guys’ eyes. They were really hungry, especially coming off of a final in Brainerd and not getting it done.

“It was really cool that Del and I got to battle it out again. It was a really great race and we came out on top. I can’t believe that we won the U.S. Nationals.”

Just two weeks earlier, Worsham defeated Hagan at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Minnesota, and on Monday the pair met again in a thriller of a final at drag racing’s Big Go. Hagan took the win on a holeshot with a margin of victory of only .028.

Hagan crossed the stripe in the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T with a 3.964 at 327.43 mph to earn his first U.S. Nationals Wally, using a sizeable advantage at the starting line to drive around Worsham’s quicker 3.958 at 324.20 mph in the DHL/Mello Yello Toyota Camry.

Adding to the excitement, moments after Hagan’s win, Tony Schumacher won in Top Fuel over Steve Torrence for his record 10th Indy title, giving Don Schumacher Racing its second-ever U.S. Nationals sweep.

“This is just incredible. It’s something I’ve been trying to accomplish in the nine years I’ve been driving for DSR and it’s not an easy task,” said an ecstatic Hagan. “Having the parts and pieces and the people around me, especially Dickie Venables, is the difference. That guy put a hot rod underneath me all weekend long. I am proud to be a part of Don Schumacher Racing and to have great sponsors like Mopar, Pennzoil, Freightliner, Rocky Boots and all of the people that support us out here.

“What was really cool is that it was a badass show for the fans too. They got what they paid for today.”

Hagan added wins over Tommy Johnson Jr., Robert Hight and John Bojec on his way to his first Indy final. Early round opponents Bojec and Hight smoked the tires in those matchups, while Johnson provided a stiff challenge in the semifinal round. Johnson earned a .012 head start, but Hagan chased him down in recording a 3.945 at 323.81 mph to Johnson’s 3.970 at 321.65 mph.

Hagan had passes of 3.894, 3.942, 3.945 and 3.958 on a hot afternoon with track temperatures in excess of 120 degrees to earn the win. And he did it all while battling an illness, waking up Sunday morning with a fever and chills.

“There’s a lot of things that define great people and great moments and Tony (Schumacher) is a prime example of one of those guys that sits up there and, when things come together, they make it happen,” Hagan said. “I’ve listened to him on Sunday mornings and all of the things that have happened to him. He’s had great parts and great pieces and great people around him, but you still have to dig deep and still have to make it work.

“You can’t fold under those moments. You have to be the person that stands out. There’s a lot of great drivers I am surrounded by and that makes this even more special. This is something I’ve been wanting to check off the list for a long time.”

Worsham recorded wins over Ron Capps, Dave Richards and teammate Alexis DeJoria en route to the runner-up finish.

While Hagan dominated the main event in Indianapolis, taking the No. 1 spot and the win, he did suffer a semifinal loss in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout on Sunday to eventual-winner Courtney Force. While disappointing, Hagan said that the added runs helped on Monday, especially in a brand new car debuting this weekend.

“We went to the final two weeks ago in Brainerd and we shook our car apart. So we came out here to the test session with a new fuel system on it, new manifolds and we ran two strong laps,” Hagan said. “After the second pass, Dickie is like, ‘put it in the box, we are good to go.’ Of course, I was like, ‘what? We have another day of testing. What are you talking about?’

“To see the confidence in his eyes with a brand new race car and then to come in here and qualify number one and the car is on kill the whole weekend, was a big boost for me. I think that’s what it takes to win championships, what it takes to win races. And I really feel this car is peaking at the right time.”

The U.S. Nationals also marks the end to NHRA’s regular season, with the eight-race Countdown to the Championship set to kickoff in two weeks in Charlotte. Ron Capps secured the top overall seed in the championship playoffs, followed by Worsham, Hagan, Courtney Force and Jack Beckman. The remainder of the top 10 are Robert Hight, Tommy Johnson Jr., John Force, Tim Wilkerson and Alexis DeJoria.

Now, following one of the biggest victories of his young career, what kind of celebration is in store for Hagan and his team? The kind that comes from a proud father, as Hagan’s dad, David, was on hand to witness it all.

“He flew in this morning,” Hagan said. “Whenever he is here, I know the guys like it because he takes us all out for dinner. They are licking their chops right now for a good steak. I know it is going to be a good celebration. It is a very special moment for me that he is here. Don (Schumacher) is here. It gives me chill bumps just thinking about what we accomplished today.”