To this day, Matt Hagan remembers what it was like when he first began racing.

In those early years, when he was just a youngster trying to make a name for himself alongside the kings of the sport, Hagan couldn’t give his autograph away. No one was stopping by his pits. He was a nobody. And he remembers what that was like.

“I remember trying to give autographs away (in those early years) and people were like, ‘I don’t want it.’ It has changed a lot since then,” Hagan said. “It is why I still stay out here. A lot of drivers hide and don’t come out, especially when it gets hot. I really try to stay out here with my fans because I remember when nobody wanted my autograph. It is very humbling. That is why it is so important to me to take care of our fans.”

But boy how things have changed. Walking the pits at any NHRA event today you will see kids and adults alike donning Matt Hagan gear, holding diecast cars of his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and waiting in line for autographs.

On Sunday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, in a moment unnoticed by television cameras and never-to-be-mentioned in magazines and newspapers, Hagan spotted a young boy sporting a Matt Hagan shirt and hat, eagerly awaiting an autograph. Hagan ran into his trailer and grabbed a used piston and signed it for the young fan. For more than an hour, in the absolute heat of the day, Hagan stood at the back of his trailer, signing autographs for hundreds of fans. Why? Because he remembers when no one knew who he was.

“My fans are everything. They buy the products, support the sponsors and, at the end of the day, it is all about the kids,” Hagan said. “Putting a smile on a kids face or giving them a part or piece is what it’s all about. You build a fan for life. I mean, we are here, the people are here, why not take the time to come out and make these kids smile.”

Hagan's fans were smiling by the end of the event when Hagan raced his way to the final round. And he did it all sporting a brand new Hellcat body designed to provide better downforce for the Dodge teams while also proving a bit safer than the previous body.

“So far so good. We are obviously making a lot more downforce (with the new body). (Jack) Beckman went 90-flat in testing and we went 94 the other night with it. Anytime you change something there are going to be some adjustments to get used to,” Hagan said. “For us, we came off two back-to-back wins with the old body and then we put the new one on and we are like, ‘great, now we are struggling.’ Thankfully, it’s not been so much that we are struggling, it is that we went to the west coast and jacked the tuneup up and, little by little, we are trying to find that center and base again.

“I am happy with the car so far. The tuneups have changed a little bit, but the body has been great and the drivability is going to be safer and it is structurally stronger. It has taken us a little bit to get to this point, but when we finally figure these things out, watch out.”