Matt Hagan, the reigning NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion, will carry special Mopar® graphics on his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) this week during the 43rd Annual NHRA Gatornationals, March 8–11 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. Hagan will sport full Mopar graphics at a total of five events this season.

“We have a special relationship with Mopar and it will be real cool to drive the Mopar Dodge Charger R/T in Gainesville,” said Hagan. “Mopar has been so big in our sport and at Don Schumacher Racing for so long, that you really want to go out and do a good job for them, just like we do for all of our other sponsors.”

Matt Hagan, the reigning NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion, will carry special Mopar® graphics on his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) this week during the 43rd Annual NHRA Gatornationals, March 8–11 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. Hagan will sport full Mopar graphics at a total of five events this season.

“We have a special relationship with Mopar and it will be real cool to drive the Mopar Dodge Charger R/T in Gainesville,” said Hagan. “Mopar has been so big in our sport and at Don Schumacher Racing for so long, that you really want to go out and do a good job for them, just like we do for all of our other sponsors.”

Hagan has been the No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Gatornationals in each of his last two appearances in Gainesville. The native of Christiansburg, Va. advanced to the semifinals at Gainesville last year for the second time in three years, and he also made a run to the semis in his debut at the track in 2009. The Team Mopar driver has qualified seventh or better in all three of his Funny Car starts at Gainesville.

“Right now, we just want to go to Gainesville and win some rounds,” said Hagan. “We can’t dig ourselves too big of a hole. If you would have told me after we won the championship last year that we wouldn’t win a round in the first two races, I wouldn’t have believed you. This Mopar Dodge is going to be strong. We have to get to Gainesville and hit the ground running.”

Hagan heads to the NHRA Gatornationals 11th in the Funny Car standings, just 11 markers out of the top-10 and 51 points out of the top-five. He looks to rebound from first round exits in each of the first two events of the season. Hagan was the No. 4 qualifier in the most recent race at Phoenix.

Hagan will take part in a Team Mopar driver autograph session during the NHRA Gatornationals on Saturday, March 10 from 10:20–10:40 a.m. (ET) at the Mopar Direct Connection display, along with his fellow Mopar-powered DSR teammates, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Johnny Gray. In addition to Team Mopar Pro Stock drivers Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Mopar-powered Pro Stockers V. Gaines and Vincent Nobile will also participate.