Inside Line Promotions – GIBSONTON, Fla. (Feb. 21, 2018) – Derek Hagar battled through a roller coaster type of outing during the Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360s last weekend at East Bay Raceway Park.
“We had some issues leading into the weekend with the fuel tank so we had to put a new fuel tank on,” he said. “We made practice on Wednesday and raced good on Thursday, but we were trying to figure out some handling issues all weekend. It was a totally different track. Anything you do there you can’t do anywhere else. There are things you have to do to the car to work it out.”
The three-day event began on Thursday with Hagar maneuvering the Witherspoon Racing entry from eighth to sixth place in a heat race. That earned enough points to lock directly into the 15th starting position for the 25-lap main event.
“We did a good job of locking into the A Main through the heat race after starting at the back of the field,” he said. “We gained a few positions and I think we were ranked 10th in overall points after the first night.”
Hagar, who ended 12th, returned to the oval on Friday. Unfortunately, the team fought mechanical problems all night. Hagar placed eighth in a heat race before a DNF in a B Main closed the night early.
“We were having an issue with the car cutting out at the end of the straightaways,” he said. “We figured out the fuel filter we put on wasn’t allowing fuel to keep flowing to keep the motor running on the high end. That hurt us in points.”
The event wrapped up on Saturday, when Hagar powered from fourth to second place in a heat race to score a lock-in position into the 40-lap A Main.
“We transferred straight to the main through the heat race so that was good,” he said. “We were good early in the main event. We tried some stuff we wouldn’t normally try and it worked, but we sealed the tires up on the second caution. It felt like someone was pouring water under the tires when I would take off.”
Hagar recorded a 16th-place finish.
“I would say it was a good weekend,” he said. “From the time we got there until we left on Saturday we worked and worked on that car and we got it better.”
Hagar is slated to return to action in his own sprint car on March 3 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., with the USCS Series.
QUICK RESULTS –
Feb. 15 – East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. – Heat race: 6 (8); Feature: 12 (15).
Feb. 16 – East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. – Heat race: 8 (3); B Main: DNF (9).
Feb. 17 – East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 16 (12).
SEASON STATS –
4 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT –
March 3 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., with the USCS Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek
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“B&D Towing supports racing,” Hagar said. “They can help anyone in the Memphis area. For anyone who needs a hand, B&D is recommended to save the day.”
Hagar would also like to thank Dynotech Performance, DHR Suspension, J&J Auto Racing, Xtreme Race Graphics, Fragola Performance Systems, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Weld Wheels, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Wings Unlimited, FK Rod Ends, Valvoline and Ti64 for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Feb 21, 2018
- Article Date: 2/21/2018 by Inside Line Promotions