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(Photo by Paul Arch)

Inside Line Promotions – EASTABOGA, Ala. (May 5, 2025) – Derek Hagar captured a runner-up result a week ago Saturday during a USCS Series event at Talladega Short Track.

A doubleheader at the dirt oval was shortened to one night as weather cancelled the opening round the previous night. Hagar and car owner A.G. Rains kicked off the finale by hustling from fourth to second place in a heat race.

That advanced them into the dash draw, in which Hagar pulled the No. 5 to line up fifth. However, the race was cancelled due to time and track conditions, making Hagar start the feature fifth. He quickly maneuvered into second place and was passing the leader when a caution came out, reverting him back to second and allowing the other driver to find the preferred lane on the bottom edge of the track.

“The caution just fell at the wrong time,” Hagar said. “I had a good line and good drivability. Once I showed him my nose, he’s smart enough to know what he needs to do. I could stay with him for a lap after the cautions trying to roll the middle, but then he’d pull me a little each lap. My tires started going away and we were kind of conservative on tightening the car too much because they’d just run a 100-lap World of Outlaws late model feature before so I didn’t know how bad the rubber would get. In hindsight, we should have tightened more because the rubber wasn’t too bad to where I’d be too tight.”

Hagar’s second-place showing marked his third podium of the season and fourth top five in four starts with Rains.

“We have a little work to do to get everything gelled together, but we’re on the right track,” Hagar said. “There’s some stuff we can work on to help our chances at winning some of these races. I need to get used to his engines. The car feels fine. It’s a different combination so we need to change a little on the setup to accommodate. We’ve only ran a handful of races so every time we’re on the track we learn something.”

A trip to Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., this Saturday is on tap.

“We’re putting a new powerplant together, one that we hurt the second race of the year,” Hagar said. “I think everything is going to be A-okay.”

QUICK RESULTS –

April 26 – Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala. – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 2 (5).

SEASON STATS –

6 races, 1 win, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com

X: http://www.twitter.com/dhrracing

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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 like to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions, Sonic of Dyersburg, Keith Jones Promotions, Boat Warehouse, West Tennessee Expediting, Inc., AmeriPanel, J&J Auto Racing, B & D Towing and Recovery, FK Rod Ends, Dynotech Performance Race Engines, A.M.P., Fragola Performance Systems, Administrative Consulting Services, Killer Coatings, Beazt Composites, Xtreme Race Graphics, Southern Collision Centre, AR Dyno Specialty, Jeff’s Heating and Cooling, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Weld Wheels, DHR Suspension, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Valvoline, Ti64, High Performance Lubricants, CP-Carillo and Builtwiser Wings 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.