Let me think of the right word ... surreal . It was really amazing , especially Clay . That was really nice of him to say that . It was all just very overwhelming . It still feels like I ’ m dreaming .
A few weeks after the Million , you competed in the WDRA World Finals as a U . S . 131 Motorsports track champion . You won a total of 11 rounds to go undefeated on the weekend . How rewarding was it to close out the year with another big performance like that ? Very rewarding . It was just like the cherry on top . Without trying to sound cocky , it just felt like that was supposed to happen . It ’ s what I ’ ve always dreamed of . I ’ ve always wanted to be the best , and this season matched what I ’ ve always wanted to be . It felt like that was supposed to happen . It felt really good . Super thankful .
You won one of the Millions and a world championship in one season . Is there one that means more than the other , or do they both have their own merits ? I would say they both have their own merits . It didn ’ t dawn on me until recently that [ the original Million Dollar Race ] is like the Super Bowl of bracket racing . I don ’ t think you can outdo that . But the World Finals , this was my fourth try and it always meant a lot to me . It was really important for me to win there . I finally did it . I feel like they ’ re both equally ranked for me for some reason .
How do you plan on taking what you ’ ve learned this year and applying it to 2024 and beyond ? I plan on hitting more bigger races and just try to keep that same hungry mentality . I really dug deep this year . I really wanted to prove it to myself that I could do what it takes . I just realized I gotta go out there and want it and earn it . No easy rounds . Sometimes I want it to be easy , but I gotta remind myself that if you want to be the best , you ’ ve really gotta earn it . I really want to keep trying to stack up some wins and prove to myself I can keep doing it and prove to myself it wasn ’ t a fluke season . DI
Though Hagar rolled in with a minimalist operation , he had no shortage of friends and supporters joining him in the winner ’ s circle celebrations at the Million .
108 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185