Multi-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan took exception to a John Force “double-bulbing,” and following their first-round match at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, didn’t have an issue calling out the 16-time champion.
The two exchanged not-so-pleasant pleasantries in the shutdown area following Force’s victory.
FoxSports’s Amanda Busek, who was a witness to the incident, said Hagan approached Force and asked, “What was that about? You’re a better driver than that.”
Force reportedly responded with, “This is race day. I’m going to do what I want to do here.”
Busek said in a conversation Force revealed that his competition is better than he is at this stage of his career and that he has to use every weapon in his arsenal to go rounds.
Force was asked by NHRA’s Joe Castello about the incident and only said, “We are all good; the guy is a great racer.”
Meanwhile, Hagan wasn’t as restrained to FoxSports Bruno Massel, “John up there, he can cuss me and stomp his feet all he wants, but I’ve always shown that man a courtesy because of who he is and what he’s done for this sport,” Hagan said. “It’s just a respect thing. And then you go through things in the car up there that you’re waiting on him and doing different things, and just because you know he’s going to be slow coming in and doing different things, and then he goes in there and double bulbs.
“He can do whatever he wants, and this is not about winning or losing; this is about respect as a driver to driver, and he just doesn’t show any of that respect back whatsoever. Like I said, he can do what he wants, but he ain’t going to have that courtesy from me from here on out.”
