Sure enough, we got that No. 1 spot this weekend, which was huge for the whole team. For me, crew chief Tommy DeLago and the shelor.com guys it was a really big morale booster.

We were a little surprised but not too much because we knew we had a really good car. And Tommy did a great job tuning it and making the right calls in qualifying.

As everyone knows by now, we didn't fare so well. We didn't have the best luck on race day. Cruz Pedregon ended up taking us out first round, but we still gained eight points through qualifying and we're in 11th, only six points behind Cruz, who is in that final 10th spot. Still very obtainable, and we'll do our best to get into the Countdown to 1 playoffs, which will start after the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.

We have three races to make sure that we skip up a spot, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to the next race and make sure we do everything possible to win that race.

Hi, everyone,

So, I am on my way to Sonoma to finish up the Western Swing. I tell you, it has been an experience between Denver with the altitude and getting used to breathing up there and then coming down to sea level for the Seattle race. There were some adjustments that needed to be made along the way.

It has been great to be on the Western Swing. I have not been to the West Coast a lot but the scenery is amazing, especially in Denver. The mountains were great and I was very surprised how green everything was there.

In Denver we qualified No. 3, which was great. I felt like we were getting our old car back, the one we ran so well with at the beginning of the year.  When I say that I mean we got back to our old routine. Right after Bristol we started testing a lot of new stuff because of the new rule limiting the number of days we could test, so we were learning at the races. Even though we still did well with the new stuff I had to learn a new feel to the car and Tommy had a lot of new variables to deal with. So, it's back to what we know and Tommy is picking up were we left off. He has put us right up there in the No. 3 spot two weekends in a row.

At Denver it was great to get past Grant Downing in the first round. We had been coming up on six first-round losses in a row, so it was great to break that. After the first round I got out of the car and said to myself, We have the car to win the race, I was cutting great lights and the car was running great; we just had to keep it going. 

Heading into the next round we started off great. I had a .03 light and was way ahead of Robert Hight but then the car slowed down allowing Robert to get the win. It ended up that the air bottle that sets off the timers and runs the car had a leak. So we just had bad luck. So I tried to look at the positive side: we got around first round. I put the rest of that behind me and moved on to Seattle. 

When I arrived there the first thing I saw was a huge mountain that was covered in snow. It really was beautiful. During qualifying our car was running great right out of the box. We were in the top of the pack but then the next lap we had a safety box malfunction that kept triggering the parachutes to come out. It happened twice and we were not able to make our night run. We ended up No. 3 qualifier for the second straight week. We only got bumped out of the No. 2 spot by mph.

We paired up with my teammate Jack Beckman first round. You always hate to race your team cars, but you end up doing that more often than not. One good thing about it is that teammates don't play starting line games. You just go up there and race and that's what we did. I had Jack off the line and our numbers were better earlier, but then we both struck the tires and Jack did a great job pedaling to get around us. Ours blew up. If you saw it on TV it wasn't pretty.

When you get back to the pits it's so easy to hang your head and be upset about the situation. You think to yourself, I have to have the worst luck ever. It's OK to think that and to be very competitive about what we are doing. But I also think it is a time to be thankful for everything else that is going your way. I do realize that it could always be worse.

When I was on the first airplane on my way to Sonoma I was sitting across from a couple - one was blind and the other was deaf - and they had a small child. It was very humbling to me and made me realize that all the trouble that I think I have had is nothing compared to what they must go though day to day. So, I guess what I am saying is, when it seems like nothing is going my way, I should be grateful just to have the opportunity to do what I do for a living.

Well, I am in-between flights now and trying to get on the plane to San Francisco. I will have another blog for you after this race.
 

Hi, everyone

Well. I guess it's time to write a blog. I know I said I would update it every week, so I guess I am a little behind, and I apologize. It's been busy on the NHRA circuit as well as back at the farm.

To tell you a little bit about what is going on in my world, we just got a new addition to the family. I bought my wife Rachel a new dog. It's a Black Russian Terrier puppy. She said she wanted a guard dog since I am gone so much, but the only thing it guards right now is the food bowl.

We will see how good a guard dog she becomes. I have my doubts, but if it makes Rachel feel better while I am gone then I am all for it. 

Speaking of Rachel, she is 26 weeks along and we are going for one of those 4-D sonograms. You can see all types of cool things about your baby. It even shows you how the baby might look. We are really excited. I think with my 2-year-old, the new dog, and the new baby on the way, Rachel is going to have her hands full.

At the farm we have been putting up hay. I have rolled up 508 round bales so far and am still cutting on some other farms I am leasing. I have had to wrap a lot of the hay and make haylage because it has rained so much here at home that you can't get enough hot days in a row to dry out a lot of hay.

The fun starts here in a couple of weeks when I start my second cutting and put up square bales in the barn. I hope I can talk some buddies into helping me. Either way, it will be a lot of work. I have also bought 50 bred Heffers that are going to calve out in the fall. It's staying really busy at the farm.

As you can tell, I have been talking a lot about everything but racing and that's because it has been a tough last four races, but they are behind us and I am looking forward to Norwalk. I know that we are going to turn things around and get back to running up front again in the Shelor.com Dodge. All the guys are going to be rested up and ready to go.

See you out there.
 

I was so excited to see everyone at the race in Bristol. I think everyone I know was there and I got to see a lot of people that I have not seen In a long time, so it was great to catch up with everyone. I felt like everyone was rooting for me.

Qualifying went well and we ended up in the top half of the field. I just had a great feeling about this race. We had a fast car and it was like my hometown track, with Christianburg just a couple of hours' drive away. I felt for sure that a win was coming our way.

We were paired up against Tony P. and my record is not the greatest against this guy. It seems like he has my number this year and we are having a tough time putting him on the trailer. So, I knew it was our turn. Things just had to start going our way against him. We had lane choice so I felt confident about going down the track. 

We get up there to start the car, do the burn-out and, wouldn't you know it, we had an oil line break and there was oil every were. I knew we were going to get shut off. It felt like someone reached in and ripped my guts out, I was so sick. I got pushed back and had to watch Tony make a solo run. I could not believe it. There was nothing we could do. But, as the old saying goes, you can't cry over spilled milk. So we just have to keep our heads up and move to the next race. 

The next day we had a test session scheduled and I was looking forward to getting back in the shelor.com Funny Car after watching everyone race on Sunday. We ended up making six laps and had a really productive test on Monday.  It really got me excited about the race coming up this weekend and I know the guys are excited. They are working really hard and everyone seems like they are working well together. Tommy is really stepping into his own and trying new things and I think that is what is going to set us apart from everyone else.

I know I talk a lot about me and Tommy and my farm in these blogs. So, I want to take the time to let you know a little about all the guys on the crew. First their is Glenn Huszar. He is the assistant crew chief. He can do just about anything on the car. He and Tommy take a lot of that info on a run and hash it out in the lounge and come up with a plan for the next run. There sure is a lot of info to look at. Glenn comes from the Force camp and seems to be a real hands-on guy. He comes off as a hard ass, but he is a great guy when you get to know him. 

Terry Snyder does the clutch on the race car. He has lots of experience with everything on the car and can do just about anything Tommy wants. He was an assistant crew chief on Del Worsham's cars so he has lots of great ideas to throw at Tommy and Glenn. But his main job is the clutch. He is one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He always has a funny story to tell, but I know where he gets it from: his dad Dave Wallery. He is a sponsor on the car and owns Wallery's Pizza and is a great guy to hang out with at the races. I am trying to get him to come to more races. I enjoy hearing about his days racing with Del. Like I said before, I know were Terry gets it from.

Terry is training Smokey (Daniel Neal) who is the assistant clutch guy. I guess you can figure out why they call him Smokey, but he is taking the lead from Terry soon and has already started doing the clutch at some races. So I will look for him to be the clutch guy soon. Smokey's family has been coming to some of the races and they are great to hang out with also.

Then there's Haystack (Josh Wallace). He does the bottom end, and he comes from the DSR hospitality side. He is doing a great job and learning fast. This year is his first year working on a race car, so, as you can imagine, I was a little worried at first. But he jumped right in there and learned really fast. I have been really impressed with this guy. I look for him to move up through the ranks and learn other positions. He is another guy that will keep you laughing. He is quick to bust out some rhymes and do some off-the-wall stuff.

Then there is Ed Otto. He is the car chief and does blowers. He also oversees everything on the car, training the guys and keeping them straight. We call Eddy 'Gramps' because he has been there, done that, and there is no messing around when it comes to racing. He is doing a great job with all the guys, but don't let the fact that Eddy is the road boss fool you. Eddy can hang with any of the younger guys and knows how to have a good time. 

Todd Haas does cylinder heads on the car. He pulls a head and services it at the end of each night. He is really getting a handle on the heads. He seems like he is getting into a groove.  Plus, he did heads on my old team. So it was cool to have someone that I knew when I got to DSR. He also puts me in the car and if I pick on him too much he makes sure my belts are extra tight each run.

Joe Janisch does the other head and builds racks at the shop. He is doing a great job and seems to be getting faster every week. Joe and I have had about 100 conversations and I still have not figured out what he is saying. Just joking, Joe. He is from New York and has a thick accent, so I give him a hard time about it. He is a great guy and I think we will see lots of great things from him.

Then there's Gage Fairchild. He does our tire and body and he also helps me pack the parachutes. He's just doing a great job out here. He came form the Caterpillar team and he's been a great help out here servicing the car and turning it back around.

On the way to Topeka last Tuesday, five of the crew guys stopped off at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.,, to Osage Beach. They rented a boat and visited the various establishments and restaurants up and down the cove. Terry, Ed, Smokey, Josh (Haystack) and Joe made the trip. They visited one of those amusement arcade buildings and played video games. They made Josh ride one of those tiny kids' rides where they stuffed him inside a little truck, and he rode that. They played skeet ball and were in the batting cages all night. It was a good relaxing time for them before they got to Topeka. They deserved it.

So, that is why we are doing so well. It's because of all the great guys on the team.  

See you at the races
 

Well, I am sitting in the airport in Indianapolis with a big weather delay on Tuesday, and I thought it would be a great time to catch you up with what's been going on.

As I'm sure you all know, the weather in St. Louis was a little tricky because we lost a whole day of qualifying and, man, does that hurt. With this no-testing rule, we need all the runs we can get. The only thing that took the pressure off was that there were only 16 cars there, but we still needed the extra runs.

On our first lap we had some timing issues and it put two holes out, so I clicked it off early. On our second lap it took off and I could really tell it was hauling the mail, but about half-track I could really feel it spinning the tires and I decided to step off the pedal about 100 feet early. The guys came over the radio and said it ran a 4.14, so I knew that we were going to have a fast race car on Sunday.

All the pressure was off and we were going to have lane choice in the morning. Even though we had a good car, Tommy is always trying to get it to run better. So, he wanted to stay a little longer to look at the computer before Ron Capps, Tommy, and I were supposed to go to dinner. It started to get late and we talked Tommy into leaving so we could get something to eat. Tommy hopped on the scooter with Ron, and I got on mine to go back to the car. Everything started off well, but it sure got ugly fast. I was ahead of them and looked back to see were they were and the next thing I saw was Tommy falling off the scooter at about 15 mph. He took a pretty hard bounce off the pavement.

I have to give it to Capps. Even though he threw Tommy off, he did a hell of a job saving his scooter. It was like I saw it in slo-mo. I couldn't help but burst out laughing before spinning around to see if they were all right. I think that was the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

When I got over to Tommy he was skinned up and bleeding on his forearm and was holding his hip. The only thing he said when I asked him if he was okay was "I didn't lose my cigarette." I couldn't help but laugh some more as he hopped right back on with Ron and we headed for the cars.

I guess Tommy's homework paid off because on Sunday in first round we went out there and laid down low e.t. of 4.10 and fastest mile per hour of 303 for the event. I just knew we were going to have a winning race car.

Even though we were racing, I still would laugh when the body was up and Tommy would reach up and turn the air bleeds and you could see that big scab on his arm. It's stuff like that you never forget.

The next round we had Tony Pedregon, and this is a guy I really want to beat. In our last two match-ups he won both of them, and I know I didn't want to make it three in a row. Tony is the type of guy that you have to get pumped up for because he can cut a good light and you don't want to get left on. So we lined them up and we both left the same and I couldn't see him so I knew I was ahead. Then, all of a sudden, I could see some fire coming in under the body, but the car was still pulling and we were still winning. The fire just kept getting bigger, and I decided to lift. I watched Tony pull away for the win. It felt like someone ripped my guts out, and I know all the guys were feeling the same way.

We got back and found out it was an inner head stud that broke and it pushed the head gasket out on the run. It really stinks to lose because of a broken part. With 7,000 horsepower, I guess we are going to break a part or two.

Well that is how my weekend went, and now it's back home to work on the farm for a while.

See you at the races,
Matt

Hi, everyone

First off, let me start off by apologizing to all my fans for not posting here for a while. It's been over a month since I wrote my last blog. I have had so much going on in my life with my wife being pregnant, working on the farm and racing, I just have not had time to sit down and get it all on paper.

Speaking of my wife, Rachel, we just found out that we're going to have a girl in the fall. We are all so excited about that because there are not too many girls in our family.

The farm takes up so much of my time when I get home because of planting season that I feel like I live on the tractor during daylight hours trying to get all my fields planted. And racing is nonstop. So, enough making excuses. I am going to try to blog every week and keep everyone up on what we are doing.

I think I last left off before Vegas and, man, what a race that was. We had a great car and Tommy D was making all the right calls all day long. We were really testing a lot of new things and didn't know how it was going to go first round but Tommy backed it down a bit and we had a hot rod all day until we met Capps in the final. Capps and I talked a bit before the final and we both agreed it was going to be a great day for DSR and what was cool is that we just went up there and raced. No one was laying down and we were letting the cars do the talking. 

So, you all know how the finals went. I wish we could have won, but that will come in time. We ended up No. 2 In points and had a great time.

The next race in Atlanta we had some rain delays but got the race off. I had Cruz and I thought we might have a another staging duel, but everything went fine. We ended up running a killer number and had Tony P. in the next round.  I knew that he was going to have a fast car and I would have to get pumped up for him. Well, I now owe him for two races and I hope that's coming soon. Anyway, Tony is a great driver and a great leaver, but the cards will come our way soon. 

Hope to see all of you at the track soon.
 

We just finished up the race in Houston, and it seemed to be a tricky track. The right lane was especially hard to get down. It has two big bumps in it, and they are really hard to get over. It tries to unload the tires on you and push you out of the groove.

In the left lane, it was a lot better, but during qualifying, the wind was so bad that it really pushed the car around. You really had to be on top of it to keep it in the groove, but, all in all, the left lane was way better.

You know how I have been saying to be humble in this sport. Sometimes you can be on top of the world and the next time you can't find your way. We had a little taste of that this weekend with a parts failure with the fuel pump. There are so many variables on these cars sometimes it's hard to pinpoint.

Even though we had some problems this weekend, I have a lot of confidence in Tommy DeLago that he will find the problem and fix it. He told me before I left the track that they were going to take every thing off the race car, take it apart, and go through everything. I don't have a doubt in my mind that Tommy will have a top-running car under me by Vegas.

All the guys are working great together and getting along well. I have not been around this sport long, but I think that is the key to winning. Everyone has to work well with each other. I think we have that, and I know that winning will come. I am very confident that we will get this Shelor.com car in the winner's circle before the year's up and hopefully more than once.

I want to say congrats to Jack Beckman for a final finish. Those guys are really coming on strong. I would also like to say thanks to Ace [Ed McCulloch], Ron [Capps], and all the NAPA crew. Without them we would have never made the second round. Those guys are great and always willing to lend a hand, and that's what is so great about the DSR organization. Everyone helps out!

We're in Las Vegas this weekend. It's a little hectic to have back-to-back events like this, but it's also great to get right back in the car and try to keep the energy flowing. I haven't raced at The Strip, but that is where I got my Pro nitro license, so I'm looking forward to returning for a national event.

See you soon,
Matt Hagan

Where do I start? We have had so much going on with our team, and with sponsorship, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. I guess I will start with the question that everyone has asked me: "What happened to your sponsor?" Well, to tell you the truth, as everyone knows, the economy is not the best, and BrakeSafe came on board selling products to car dealerships. We all know the car business is not the best right now. You can figure out the rest. So, our family business, Shelor.com, stepped in and became the primary sponsor on the car.

We are really excited to be a part of the DSR organization. However, we are still hunting very aggressively to find a new marketing partner for the rest of the year and for years to come. I understand that there are many teams also pursuing sponsorship, but I feel like we are in the best situation to bring on a new marketing partner because we have a great program with DSR. The exposure you get just being associated with DSR is huge, and they have phenomenal facilities, not to mention the hospitality area is one of the biggest on the strip. Also, our car is running great. With that in mind, I feel like we have a lot to offer a sponsor.

Now, let me catch you up on what we have been doing on the car. We went down to West Palm Beach to do some testing on Monday. Man, what a long day! We made seven laps. We started at 9 that morning and finished up at 9:45 that night. We were one lap shy of fitting two races into one day. I really felt for the guys; they worked so hard. Their shirts were solid white from sweat. They did a great job with no mistakes and that says a lot because they were dead tired at the end of the day.

I tell you, those guys love what they do for a living. They are all doing so well and learning fast. Someone else who is doing a great job is our assistant crew chief Glen Huszar. He is really stepping up and doing a great job on the race car. He has so many responsibilities on the car, from ordering parts to plumbing the car, and any problems that happen out there, he deals with. You ought to see this guy fabricate! He can build you anything. Tommy seems to be a great teacher, and Glen is really learning fast. It's cool to watch him teach the rest of the guys new things.

Speaking of learning, we learned so much during the test session, even though we didn't run any killer numbers. We got a lot of great data, and, man, that West Palm Beach track is killer to run on.

After the long day at the track, Tommy set up a fishing trip for the next day, and that was a great time. We met up at 6 that morning, and it was off to Sailfish Marina, where we got on this really fancy yacht. It was so nice that I couldn't believe that we were going fishing on it, but when they put the live bait in the live well I knew it was game on. The captains were great but the best part was to get to hang out with Ace (Ed McCulloch), Tommy (DeLago), Glen (Huszar), Ronnie (Thompson), and Ron (Capps). The fish weren't really biting, so it turned into a really nice boat ride. It was cool to get out there relax and cut up a little with everyone.

So, now I'm all rested up for the Gainesville race and qualifying starts. It is really hot out on the track so it makes it a little hard to figure out, but Tommy hits it right on the head and puts us in the No. 5 spot on the second lap. My teammate Ron landed in the No. 6 spot. These cars run so close to each other, and I think that comes a lot from Tommy and Ace working so well together. It's really cool to sit back and watch them work. We ended up getting bumped back to the No. 7 spot, and we would have Robert (Hight) first round with lane choice. Robert's team was having some trouble getting the car down the track, so even though it was a tough draw, I knew they were having some problems.

On race day I got up and had a great breakfast with Jim McLean from Gates Belts and Hose. We had a great talk, and I knew it was a great start to a great day. I still had butterflies, though, going into first round against Robert, but I knew that Tommy was going to make it run a good number. I just had to keep it in the groove. It felt so good to get around first round and be heading into the second round against Ashley (Force Hood). All I was thinking about was that I am not going to let her beat me again, but, man, was it a tight race. We came out on top. We were matched up against Tony (Pedregon) for the next round, and I could taste the final. We were so close, we just needed to get around him, and we would have a chance to get a Wally. Well, we left the starting line, and he had me covered up on the Tree. We ran 4.161 to his 4.160. It was a good race, and we were so close, but I let it slip through my fingers.

So, now I am at home doing lots of reps on the practice Tree and getting ready for the next race in Texas. Hope to see you all out there!

Later,
Matt Hagan

This has been a tip so far — and I’m not even out of Virginia yet!  It started out with confusion on my travel days, then having to drive to a different airport — and then waiting behind an overturned semi-truck!  Finally, I made it to the airport — and got on my way to Phoenix and warmer weather. (it’s been in the 30’s here, with a lot of rain and sleet — so going anywhere with the promise of warmer weather sounds good right now!)

Last week, one of my neighbors had a hole in their fence and their cows got out, so we pitched in to help them round them up. I spent the evening chasing heifers — and I was exhausted! A guy could really get in shape that way!  Anyway....

On Wednesday, I’m going be at Moore Chrysler Jeep on the north side of Phoenix, out in Peoria with our transporter and car — if you’re anywhere in the area, please come by!  I’d love to see you and show you this incredible looking paint job on the BrakeSafe Dodge.

Looking forward, this weekend will be great, because I know Tommy has a handle on this track from when we were testing. We had a great time in Pomona — making the show in one pass and then going up against Ashley in a pedal-fest. I’m looking forward to getting down the track several times and of course going rounds!  We’ll see you at Moore Chrysler or at the track!
 

Hi everyone,
 
Well, I am back home from Phoenix and our test session went really well. I had a really great time in the Valley of the Sun - the weather was great and I got to hang out with my sponsor, Rich, and his family. They took me out to dinner and were all so very nice -- I had a great time that evening.
 
As far as the car goes, we made six laps during the weekend, and I ran my career best: 4.09 at 305 mph, in the BrakeSafe hot rod. That's about as much as I am going to say about the car running good because you know how it goes, the minute you think you have it licked the car throws you a curve ball and it takes forever to get back on track. What I will say is that I am glad to have Tommy DeLago making the calls. I think he has some really great ideas and he picks up on things that others may overlook.
 

I feel really good about going into my first race at Pomona.  I think the thing to do going into the Winternationals is to take it lap-by-lap and set small goals for ourselves, trying to obtain them at each race. I know I have a huge learning curve this year, but I don't want to get overwhelmed with that. I am just going to take it lap by lap, get in it and drive. It is so easy to over-think it sometimes, you know?
 
On another note, I got back from testing and started packing my motor coach for the season. I couldn’t believe that I have to have all this stuff to make it feel like home away from home. I guess there is just no substitution for home; however, I am excited to have my motor coach at the track. I won't have to fight the traffic and might get a little more sleep.

See you all at the race,
Matt