Aaron's Returns To Don Schumacher Racing With Funny Car Champ Matt Hagan

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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Anne Proffit has worked in the automotive field since - well, not telling you that. She's been a car salesperson (before it was popular to hire... More

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Aaron's Inc., the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailer of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories is returning to NHRA's Don Schumacher Racing for a second consecutive year, this time as primary sponsor of 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Matt Hagan, the team said.  

Aaron's will be the primary partner for Hagan in 13 national events - and primary sponsor on Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster for four races on the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing calendar.

"It's really exciting to kick off the seaon as the champion with Aaron's on our car," Hagan said.  "They have the 'Lucky Dog' and I sure hope he brings me some luck!"

The 17-event total sponsorship with Aarons is two more than last year for DSR.  In 2011, Aaron's debut drag racing season resulted in five NHRA event titles.  Last year Aaron's split its partnership between Jack Beckman's Funny Car and Antron Brown's Top Fueler.  Beckman earned three Wally trophies for Aaron's and Brown won twice wearing Aaron's colors on his rail, combining to reach the championship round eight times over the 22-race campaign.

"We enjoyed amazing success with our DSR partnership in our first year working together," said Ken Butler, Aaron's COO.  "We came so close to winning the Funny Car championship with Jack and the Top Fuel championship with Antron.  We are really looking forward to what 2012 will bring us."

It was team owner Don Schumacher's decision to move the affiliation from Beckman to Hagan for the 2012 season.  "It was strictly my decision," he said, after DieHard moved from primary to an associate sponsorship on the 2011 Funny Car champion's Dodge Charger R/T flopper.

Beckman carries sponsorship from Valvoline NextGen on his 2012 Dodge Charger R/T, while Hagan's Charger has associate coverage with Mopar and Freightliner.

"There are wonderful people at Aaron's and I'm glad they're still with DSR," Beckman graciously said.  "Don is brilliant with how he runs the biggest team on the NHRA tour and has been able to sustain it out here for a decade, winning nine championships.  He does the right thing for our sponsors and our marketing partners," the Californian stated.

Hagan, 29, a Virginia-based cattle farmer, earned recognition on the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association All-America First Team and was honored January 8 at its annual banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Indianapolis.   Brown was a second-team selection.

In his championship season, Hagan won two national events, was runner-up twice and earned three No. 1 qualifying positions over 22 races, his third full-time season with DSR.  He is the second-youngest driver to win the Funny Car championship.

Hagan drove his Tommy DeLago-tuned Funny Car to an NHRA record 3.995-second pass, making his flopper the first Funny Car under the four-second barrier in 1000-foot competition.  He accomplished the feat at Concord, NC.  Hagan's top speed of over 322-mph that September weekend is also the fastest to date by a Funny Car at the 1000-ft distance.

Hagan and Aaron's aligned during the final two races of the 2011 season; his quarter-panels had Aaron's RIMCO Custom Wheels, Tires, Accessories and More logos for Las Vegas and the Pomona finale where he won the title.

The entire Don Schumacher Racing team is testing at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, FL on January 17-21 in preparation for the season opener at Pomona, CA on February 9-12.