Matt Hagan heads into this weekend with 51 wins under his belt, and if he has his way this weekend, he’ll score the first one for a brand he believes in. 

Hagan will drive a Funny Car adorned in American Rebel Beer livery. 

“I’m honored to represent American Rebel because it’s a company I believe in and that I’ve personally invested in,” Hagan said. “Andy (Ross – CEO) is a great guy. He’s kind of like Jason Johnson from JHG because we all click and get along really well together. It makes it easy to represent the brand. 

“Andy was along for the championship ride last year and wanted to do more, so I’m very proud to represent them. Aside from American Rebel Beer, there’s still the American Rebel side of things and we want to sell safes for them also. I’m proud and excited to represent their brand.”

American Rebel Beer is new to the industry, launching its brand in April 2024. It is currently offered in five states (Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, and Connecticut), with additional states being announced soon. American Rebel Beer can be found in various legendary bars in the entertainment district in Nashville, as well as retail outlets, venues, and music festivals throughout the United States. The brand bills itself as America’s Patriotic, God-Fearing, Constitution-Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.

Hagan has a good track record in Brainerd, with one win in 2021, where he defeated Cruz Pedregon. He’s also earned four No. 1 qualifiers at Brainerd, which came in 2011 (4.101 ET at 303.57 mph), 2016 (3.822 ET at 333.82 mph), 2019 (3.890 ET at 328.46 mph) and 2022 (3.843 ET at 331.36 mph).

Hagan won’t need to qualify No. 1 in Brainerd, but will only need to take the tree to clinch his berth in the 2024 Mission Foods Countdown to the Championship. 

“Locking ourselves into the Countdown is always huge,” Hagan said. “You have to be in it to win it. The biggest thing with running for a championship is you have to win a couple of those races. You have to be in that mental space to go into battle. We have some work to do. We’ve won a couple races this year, which has been great, but we still need to win a couple more along the way. 

“We have to go into the Countdown with a nothing-to-lose mentality. Points reset, so to speak, so we have nothing to lose and can swing for the fence. We have to be aggressive. That’s what Dickie (Venables – crew chief) and I talked about last year when we entered the Countdown. 

“There were several races that we knew we had to be on the next level, and he was the same way with me. I had to be on the next level with my lights. We have to have the mindset that we’re going out there to set world records. That’s sometimes hard to do, but at the end of the day, I know we’re capable of that. We have the right parts and pieces, it’s just a matter of applying it for the conditions we’re in.”