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(Photo by RAD Action Photography)

Inside Line Promotions – WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (May 7, 2024) – Derek Hagar is returning to Riverside International Speedway this weekend for his first start of the season in his No. 9jr.

The dirt oval hosts the Hooker Hood Classic on Saturday. It’s an event Hagar has won multiple times and the track is one of his best as he captured nine feature wins there last year.

“We’ve won it twice, back to back in 2015 and 2016,” Hagar said. “It’s part of history for this area. Hooker is a very famous driver. Hell, him and Elvis Presley were best friends. Hooker made racing what it is today for the Mid-South area. We’ve been fortunate enough to win it twice. I think there’s a couple of repeat winners, but I don’t know if anyone has done it three times. Hopefully we can go out there and win and add another trophy. Also, we picked up a new sponsor that will be there this weekend so it’d be great to continue to compete for wins.

“Just try to keep the momentum up from last year. We had good showings every time we hit the track. West Memphis has been very kind to us over the years. We had a good showing at the High Limit race last month. We got a top 10 with the toughest level of cars you can compete with so that brings my confidence up.”

Hagar made his Kubota High Limit Racing debut at the track on April 23, guiding Paul Hart’s No. 44 to the 15th quickest qualifying time in his group. Hagar then hustled from eighth to fifth place in a heat race and from 17th to 10th in the main event.

“It wasn’t the best qualifying effort as we were a little off,” he said. “We knew going into it being down on power we’d be off. When you give those guys the upper hand you’re not going to pass them. We were lucky to have the cards fall our way in the heat race to get a transfer spot. In the feature we were really, really free and had an open red. We were able to adjust the car and as the track got slower and slicker our car didn’t fall off. I was able to keep my speed up and get by some folks.

“It was really good, especially not making a show before that this year with the Outlaws. It was good to get my confidence built back up. We were racing with some really good drivers. Unfortunately, we had some motor issues we found the next day doing maintenance so we’re out of the 410 for a while.”

QUICK RESULTS –

April 23 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 5 (8); Feature: 10 (17).

SEASON STATS –

4 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagarDerek

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Nutrien Ag Solutions

Nutrien Ag Solutions® is the retail division of Nutrien® Ltd., the world’s largest crop inputs company. We provide full-acre solutions through a network of trusted crop consultants at more than 1,700 global locations. We help growers achieve the highest yields with the most sustainable solutions possible, offering a wide selection of products, including our proprietary brands: Loveland Products, Inc.®, Proven® Seed and Dyna-Gro® Seed. For more information, visit http://www.NutrienAgSolutions.com.

“Nutrien Ag Solutions is big into racing and a big sponsor for Jonathan Davenport,” Hagar said. “It really came about through our powder coating business and it’s turned into a good relationship. I always thought it’d be cool to have Nutrien Ag Solutions as a sponsor being here in Arkansas. I feel fortunate to be picked to carry their name on our race car.”

Hagar would like to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions, Sonic of Dyersburg, Keith Jones Promotions, Boat Warehouse, West Tennessee Expediting, Inc., Ameri-Panel, 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 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.