Matt Hagan Returns From Serious Bout of COVID-19 in Thick of NHRA Funny Car Championship

Matt Hagan plans to be back in his Shelor Motor Mile Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye this weekend at Charlotte.

Hagan is cleared to race after missing the last two race weekends with COVID-19.

And even though Hagan missed the U.S. Nationals and the first round of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs this past weekend at Reading, Pa., the defending Funny Car champion finds himself right in the thick of things. He trails 16-time champion John Force by just five points—less than one round win—in the standings, thanks in large part to the effort of replacement driver and former teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.

Johnson won at Reading, beating Force in the final no less, and according to NHRA rules regarding COVID-19-related absences, Johnson's points for the event went to Hagan.

Hagan couldn't be more appreciative to Johnson or the NHRA.

"Every situation is different, and it doesn’t look like COVID is going away anytime in the near future, so it might be something we see more of," said Hagan, when asked about the COVID-19 rule being used by the NHRA. "I think certain people might feel a certain type of way about it, not really into it or anything, until it happens to them. And then, they might be like, ‘man, I’m glad NHRA instated this new rule.’

"Up until this point it was always ‘the points go with the driver.’ So, I’m glad NHRA made that rule because I didn’t have that pressure on me like ‘I have to go racing, and if I don’t, my team could potentially lose out on a championship because of it.’ I think having that pressure just puts you in a bad situation. It comes down to safety. For me, it was a really good thing because I wanted to drive, but I wasn’t ready to drive, and this new COVID rule allowed me to take the time that I needed to get healthy and wait until I was 100% to come back."

Hagan, who has 287 NHRA starts, had never missed a race weekend in his career prior to his positive COVID-19 test prior to the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.

"COVID affects everyone differently, and it was something that hit me really hard," Hagan said. "It started like the flu and then just never got better. I had several days of lying in bed with a fever, chills, and aches, and finally ended up having to check myself into the emergency room.

"I spent a night there receiving fluids and steroids, and they were doing everything they could do to bring my 104-degree temperature down. My breathing was really concerning to them and that’s why they kept me overnight. Once they got my oxygen up and finally got my fever down to about 101, they released me from the hospital but I still wasn’t out of the woods. It still took some time for my body to recover."

Fortunately, the illness didn't wipe him out of the championship chase.

"It was very bittersweet for me watching Tommy drive my race car," Hagan said. "He deserves so much credit. He’s such a good driver. He’s finished second in the world a few times now, and I knew he would do a great job, but when it’s your car, and your team, and you’re sitting their watching as a spectator, it’s tough.

"I wanted to be there, but I just physically wasn’t ready. Missing those two races was the right thing to do. Obviously, I didn’t want to put anyone at risk, and even if you took that part out of the equation and it wasn’t a factor, it just wouldn’t have been fair to my team because I wouldn’t have been able to give 110 percent. Tommy’s a great driver and I’m very proud of my guys.

"Everyone did everything they needed to do to get as many points as possible last weekend. The fans and everyone were really supportive. They were rooting for Tommy, and rooting for our team, and it was kind of a fairy tale with the way things working out like we did."

Hagan added that if he goes on to win the championship, he will make sure to take of Johnson for pinch-hitting and getting that win at Reading.

"Absolutely it would be a co-championship, especially since it was a Countdown race," Hagan said. "Tommy put points on the board for us. I hope no one else has to go through this situation, but the team does the work and the crew chief makes the tuning calls, and they shouldn’t be short-changed because the driver gets sick and isn’t able to race. Plus, we have sponsorship obligations to fulfill.

"If we can pull this off, I’ll be the first one to buy Tommy a (championship) ring."