NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The standings don't reflect how strong the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by Matt Hagan and tuned by Dickie Venables has performed over the last six Mello Yello NHRA events. Hagan earned his third-straight pole position, dating back to the 2019 season finale, and promptly lost to Jeff Diehl in the first round of the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Not great! The Mopar team left Phoenix in fifth place, 96 points behind Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman with an understandable amount of frustration. Hagan holds a 2-2 round record in 2020, not up to the standard Venables and company have created at the early-season contests. 

There's more to drag racing than the standings, which is why Hagan leads NHRA Power Rankings for the second-straight week despite not making it past the semifinals this season. Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr. aren't going to hand the Wallys back, obviously, but there's reason to think Hagan and company are going to be just fine despite a frustrating start to the season. 

First: Holy god that Funny Car is quick. Hagan averages an elapsed time of 3.900-seconds over the last six races, the best in the category. The Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is also the fastest over the same time (328.65-mph) -- you can see the full table at the bottom of the page. Neither of those should come as big surprises; Venables typically tunes a quick and fast car, but consistency has plagued his machines in the past. 

Not so much lately. Hagan has made it down the track quicker than 4 seconds for a Success Rate of 74.4 over the last six races (39 runs). That's the second-best in the category, behind only Bob Tasca III and better than teammates running similarly quick cars (Beckman averages an elapsed time of 3.903 and Success Rate of 71.4). 

The early returns of the 2020 season (small sample size early) are similarly promising for Hagan. He is tied with Beckman for average elapsed time (3.871), though his Success Rate is a less spectacular 63.6. Beckman has won seven of eight rounds this season with a 66.7 Success Rate, which is to say one Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car has enjoyed more Sunday luck than the other. They're (so far) the two best cars in the category, but that's drag racing.

Hagan and Venables want round wins and Wallys more than Nice Stats (I also do!) but Nice Stats indicate a foundation that will lead to winner's circle and post-race parties at races like the upcoming Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Don't sell your stock in this team just yet - good things are coming.